More than a billion people have no access to medical care, in many cases due to financial obstacles. They have no health insurance, no savings, often not even a bank account.
Two physicians at the Charité, Dr. Julius Emmrich and Dr. Samuel Knauß, together with co-founder Elsa Rajemison and her mTOMADY team, have come up with an ingenious solution: a digital wallet that works on the simplest of mobile phones, even without an internet connection. Users can set up a health savings account on the platform, take out health insurance or pay for medical treatment. This can save lives.
For example, it prevents situations in which accident victims can’t receive emergency care, or acutely ill patients don’t seek medical help, because they don’t have enough cash in their pockets to pay for it.
The system is currently in use in Madagascar, where it has gained over 70 healthcare providers and the Ministry of Health as partners. It will be introduced in Ghana and Uganda this year.
mTOMADY is a spin-off from the Charité and the BIH. The BIH DHA supported the project with know-how and starting capital of EUR 1 million.
(Annual Review 2020)