Center for Health Market Innovations (CHMI)

Programs

Access Afya

last updated Mar 20, 2013

Overview

Legal Status: 
Year Launched: 
January 2012
Stage: 
Pilot/startup stage
Income Level of Target Population: 
Bottom 20%

Funding

Primary Source of Funding: 
Out-of-pocket payments

Technology

Technology Used: 
Computer › Apps/Software, Phones › SMS/MMS (Text Message)
Technology Purpose: 
Facilitating Patient Communications, Improving Data Management

Scale

Number of Clients Served: 
About 200 paying customers between Dec 2012 and March 2013
Number of Facilities Operated/Networked: 
1 clinic (as of March 2013)
Summary: 

Access Afya is a social enterprise setting up a network of “health kiosks”, or community care points offering basic healthcare services in low-income Kenyan neighborhoods.

Program goals/rationale: 

Access Afya (Access “Health” in Swahili) exists to lower barriers to healthcare by creating quality, convenient, and affordable health centers in the slums. Many health needs for the extreme poor can be handled through outpatient clinics, although if left untreated they can be life threatening. Getting access to these services for the millions of people living in poverty may not happen through more hospitals, but is possible through replicable, specialized, high-tech mini-clinics.

Key program components: 

Access Afya's mini-clinics or "kiosks" are designed for efficiency, which means they fit into small spaces available in the slums, lowering physical and behavioral barriers to consumers of care by integrating the ability to access health information and treatment into a daily routine.

STAFF: Each Access Afya “health kiosk” is staffed by a nurse clinical officer, and a community health worker. These medical staff will bring high-quality expertise into communities where most health information is exchanged over-the-counter through informal chemists. The model also relies on employing existing community health workers, who help manage the clinic, link it to the healthcare system, and give legitimacy and localized knowledge.

PAPERLESS CLINICS: Access Afya staff record all patient information, consultations, and follow-ups in its electronic health record system. This links with the mini-store, helping them track inventory and warning them about potential stock-outs.

FOLLOW UP TEXT MESSAGE:S Mobile phones are ubiquitous in Kenya and Access Afya capitalizes on this, with each patient receiving an SMS follow-up after their visit. SMS also enhances clinical processes through appointment reminders and test result notifications. Special groups, such as teens and mothers, receive targeted health messages.

CONSULTATION FEES: The price point of an average consultation, diagnosis, and treatment at Access Afya is around US$4.00, about a fifth of the cost at the nearest private clinic.

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