Improving healthcare through technology in Burundi

Challenge

In Burundi, more than 9 millions people suffer from preventable and treatable conditions such as malaria, malnutrition, and tuberculosis causing a high mortality rate. According the World Health Organization, crude death rate for Burundi is 7,61 deaths per thousand population. The leading cause of mortality is malaria. This situation is caused by lack of access to primary care services by people due to inadequate medical infrastructure, and a shortage of qualified health workers.

Solution

The Village Microclinic will build a tech-enabled platform to connect patients to health services providers through virtual and in person consultations and communication. Patients will have unlimited access to qualified clinicians over the phone for diagnosis, treatment and referral. This platform will connect all medical stakeholders nationwide to provide primary care access for everyone to everyone. Clinicians, pharmacies and patients will stay connected for follow-up and feedback.

Long-Term Impact

The Village Microclinic will build a sustainable model for primary healthcare that addresses the needs of Burundians especially those living in underserved communities. The project will provide 5,000+ virtual medical consultations a year saving customers the time and expense of traveling to geographically distant medical centers. 65 clinicians, 8 labs, and 12 pharmacies will be able to expand their services to reach more patients via online medical services.

Additional Documentation

This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).

Resources

• http:/​/​www.thevillagemicroclinic.org
• www.thevillagemicroclinic.org