Hello everyone!
Before we get to our main story – a short fun one about a time Banda Health got into the motorcycle repair business – I just want to check in and say thank you.
Over the last few months, wherever we are around the world, we have all experienced some level of loss, isolation, uncertainty and frustration due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But during that same time, you have actually increased your donations to Banda Health. This is amazing.
I want to thank each of you for doing this with us. Four years ago when Wes and I founded Banda Health, we dreamed of empowering frontline healthcare workers in some of the world’s lowest-income communities. Your generosity for people around the world, at a time when your own lives and communities have been upended, encourages us and inspires us to do better and to be better.
Thanks!
Steve, for the Banda Health team
Photo by Sophie Diarra
This is a story about what a boda boda, or 125cc’s of Indian-made motorcycle, can do for healthcare for patients who really need it. But we will get to that in a minute.
Nampunge Clinic is the largest of five clinics run by the Church of God Uganda and its partners. Before Banda Health, like many clinics across Uganda and across sub-Saharan Africa, Nampunge struggled to maintain its medicine and supplies inventory. Routinely running out of medicine meant two things: 1) Nampunge routinely failed to provide care to patients who really needed it, and 2) the clinic lost a lot of income, which really hurt its chance to ever be financially sustainable.
When Nampunge first started using Banda Health to manage its money and its inventory, it was losing something like $600 every month (Church of God Uganda and its partners covered the shortfall, which was about half of Nampunge’s budget). Banda Health helped them track all their income, each of their expenses, and not only know exactly what was on their medicine shelf at any given time, but also begin to see how much of each medicine they prescribed each week. By the end of month 2 they broke even, and by the end of months 3 and 4 they were averaging an $800 surplus.
Which brings us, finally, to the boda boda. In the pre-Banda Health era, Nampunge sent someone into town to purchase medicines two or three times a week, usually after a medicine had run out and a patient had gone away empty handed. Between paying a boda boda driver, paying for the employee’s time, and losing a patient’s business in the first place, Nampunge was paying much more for its inventory than it should have been.
What’s more, Nampunge actually owned a boda boda. But it had broken down and had been sitting in a shed for months. Banda Health let the clinic see exactly where its money was going, and what medicines they needed to buy not just for the week, but for the entire month. With a clear picture of their finances, Nampunge could now set aside a bit of money each week until they had enough to fix the motorcycle, cutting inventory costs even further.
Reliable, cheap transport – not to mention fun to zip around on. And with help from Banda Health to make tracking income and expenses and inventory easy and effective, Nampunge’s very own motorcycle is faithfully delivering medicine, and savings, to the clinic and its patients.
Your donations take Banda Health to clinics like Nampunge who struggle to balance the business of healthcare (how to sustain it) with caring for patients day in and day out, even when they cannot pay. With Banda Health, clinics provide dependable healthcare to needy patients for the long-term. Thank you so much for doing this with us!
Amy is a strategist in the life sciences industry. She currently works for the Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany as the Head of Segments Excellence. She previously held positions as the Head of the CEO office and Associate Director of Global Strategy. Amy also worked for McKinsey & Company and Booz & Company as a management consultant and had served a wide range of clients in the biopharmaceutical industry.
Michael works closely with Jeremy, helping clinics get started with Banda Go. He joined Banda Health after gaining initial work experience in IT support and data management. He graduated from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology with a bachelors in mathematics and computer science.
Michael’s personal healthcare hero is Dominic Ngalo, a data analyst at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi.
Nelly is our “concepts expert.” She ensures that all the necessary terms for our clinical modules are mapped and submitted to CIEL (concept dictionary). She’s a clinical epidemiologist with a master’s degree in epidemiology and disease control.
Nelly’s personal healthcare hero is Dr. Steve Letchford at Kijabe Hospital.
Bruce provides Banda Health with much-needed support as a clinical consultant based in Kabarak, Kenya, where he heads the Department of Family Medicine and Community Care. He’s also the director of the Digital African Health Library project and development director for Institute of Family Medicine in Nairobi.
Bruce’s personal healthcare hero is Dr. Peter Okaalet, the spiritual coordinator at Kabarak University in Kenya.
Kevin is undoubtedly our most outgoing developer! Before joining Banda Health, he spent 5 years in software consulting, working as a developer and manager at Pariveda Solutions. He completed his bachelor’s in aerospace enginnering at the University of Texas.
Kevin’s personal healthcare hero is Kate B., a physical therapist at Evangel VVF Center in Jos, Nigeria.
Jessica keeps the team organized. Whether it’s filing tax forms or preparing board reports, she makes sure it gets done on time! Before joining Banda Health, Jessica used her organization skills at a soccer start-up in Germany. She graduated from Yale University with a bachelor’s in Ethics, Politics and Economics and completed her master’s in International Relations at the Free University of Berlin.
Jessica’s personal healthcare hero is Jairos Fumpa, a cataract surgeon at Mukinge Mission Hospital in Zambia.
Thomas spends most of his time thinking about money – specifically, how he can get more of it to fund the work at Banda Health. He loves discussing big ideas, especially when they relate to good, affordable healthcare for everyone. In addition to fundraising, he helps push the envelope of BH strategy. Thomas received his bachelor’s in Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University.
Thomas’ personal healthcare hero is James Wanjiru, a nurse at Kijabe Hospital in central Kenya.
Kelly brings 6 years of experience as a system administrator managing server infrastructures and PC operations across multiple platforms (Unix, Linux, Windows). He has a bachelor’s degree in IT from KCA University and a diploma degree in IT from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
Kelly’s personal healthcare hero is Lydia Madaga, a former community health worker at PSI-Kenya.
Jeremy is our on-the-ground man, making sure the pilot sites have what they need to use our software. He previously worked as a systems analyst and team lead after getting his bachelor’s degree in computer science at Africa Nazarene University.
Jeremy’s personal healthcare hero is Isabella Muturi, a nurse at AIC Marira Clinic in Kenya.
Andrew makes sure the Nairobi team stays on track. He may seem quiet, but don’t underestimate his passion and expertise when it comes to health technology. He’s worked with leading businesses both in Kenya and internationally.
Andrew’s personal healthcare hero is Benedetta, a cashier at AIC Marira Clinic in Kenya.
Steve is the visionary behind Banda Health. After two decades working as a doctor and hospital administrator in Africa, he has stories that will convince even the biggest skeptic of the impact that IT can have on African healthcare.
Steve’s personal healthcare hero is Irene Mundia, a licensed practical nurse at Mushima Rural Health Centre in Zambia.
Wes oversees all things technical. If you want a sneak peek at the roadmap, he’s your man! With 15 years of programming experience in the US private sector plus 5 years of technical consulting and team leadership, he definitely knows what he’s doing.
Wes’ personal healthcare heroes are the Christian medical missionaries working around the world.