PharmAccess mobilizes public and private resources for the benefit of doctors and patients through clinical standards and quality improvements, loans for healthcare providers, health insurance, mHealth innovations and operational research.
We all know that companies like Facebook and Google analyze our behavior to sell ads. Why can’t we use this approach and develop social innovations to help people live healthier lives?
Ariely argues that effective healthcare is not just about understanding medicine; human behavior also plays a huge role. Human behavior is irrational. Ariely will share strategies to change habits and help people make better decisions when it comes to their health.
PharmAccess Country Director Nigeria, Njide Ndili, will discuss the need for social innovations in Africa and a third speaker (to be announced) will highlight the potential that African innovations to have an impact in markets like the Netherlands.
Digital technology can make these strategies even more effective, especially in Africa where the need for better healthcare is highest. The Joep Lange Institute collaborates with Ariely to determine effective digital interventions for those living in the slums in Kenya, making them work even for the most vulnerable people.
In Kenya, almost half of the population lives on less than $2 a day. Many people don’t have access to basic healthcare services. However, even the poorest people usually have access to a mobile phone. This means that for the first time, we can reach people who until now have been invisible to the system. New social interventions can democratize health in Africa.
This digital opportunity is introduced during the premiere of the short documentary “The Great Escape” about the reality of life in the slums of Nairobi and the potential of digital technology to bring change.
Ariely and his team are helping to find ways to incentivize people in Kenya to save for health and make better healthcare decisions, using the M-TIBA mobile health platform. This platform allows people to save, receive and pay money for healthcare through their mobile phone. How can healthcare benefit from technology, what does this mean for someone living in the slums in Nairobi? Can digital innovations disrupt the health system to make it more inclusive? And what can we in the Netherlands learn from this?
