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Delivering for health workers
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In Q3 of 2016, Medic Mobile delivered new and improved tools to 1,271 health workers while providing support to our network of partners and health workers. We trained and equipped 973 new health workers (10% more than in Q3 of last year), and deployed improved tools to 298 health workers. Six program launches and expansions in Uganda, Kenya, and Nepal contributed to this growth. Our team also finalized project plans and prepared for activities in Q4, which promises to be a busy and productive quarter!
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Updates from our product team
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Medic Mobile teammates Abdou Kane, Ranju Sharma, and Dianna Kane
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Our product team made important progress in Q3. We released Medic Gateway, an Android app that quickly and reliably exchanges SMS between field-based users and the Medic Mobile app. Tasks and Targets in our app can now also be customized for different user groups – a partner is using this new capability to set different malaria assessment goals for groups of CHWs working in different areas.
We achieved some big improvements behind the scenes; projects now store a copy of their data in PostgreSQL (a robust relational database), making it faster and easier to build analytics dashboards using complex data queries. This means our partners can also use the relational database to do their own analysis.
Also in Q3, we created a version of our DIY toolkit to support childhood immunization and released our updated DIY guide and site for antenatal care. Our designers integrated new tools into their own process, including Sketch, Zeplin, and Invision with GitHub integration – supporting collaborative design across our regions, helping us accomplish more user experience testing with users, and letting us get product updates out faster to users. Stay tuned for some exciting updates before the end of the year!
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Kilifi Kids and the Ministry of Health in Makueni County, Kenya
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Community Health Volunteers in Makueni County with their phones and solar chargers after a Medic Mobile training session
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Since 2010, Medic Mobile and Kilifi Kids have worked together to design and deploy tools to support community health volunteers (CHVs) in Kenya. While the toolkit has evolved significantly over this period of time, our partnership has remained focused on working with local counties and building ownership of the toolkit through the local Ministry of Health.
In 2016, Kilifi Kids and Medic Mobile began to work together in a new county, Makueni. We’ve deployed an ANC and immunization coordination solution to one sub-county area, through a test project with 100 CHVs. In addition to using SMS-based tools for ANC and immunization coordination, we have added a nurse-enabled workflow to confirm visits at the facility. This has included additional design work to ensure that the workflow encourages nurse participation and meets her needs at the facility. We expect that this nurse-enabled workflow will become a core part of our workflows supporting integrated health systems in Kenya.
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International Medical Corps and the District Health Office in Gorkha District, Nepal
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Sr Project Manager Manoj Khadka holds a training on analytics tools for program management with the District Health Office
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Medic Mobile continues to expand and deliver our core antenatal care and postnatal care toolkit to new districts in Nepal. In Q3 2016, an additional 240 female community health volunteers (FCHVs) in Gorkha District were supported by International Medical Corps to use Medic Mobile to coordinate ANC and PNC in their communities.
At the end of 2016, we will be working directly with our partners to equip and support the District Health Offices in Baglung, Dhading, Illam, and Gorkha. The increased interest and ownership of these systems by district leadership is promising. In addition to the technical deployment and support, our team has engaged in longer-term sustainability planning. Through these efforts, we have gained buy-in from local leaders across the Village Development Committees of Baglung to ensure continued maintenance and support for the system.
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DIY toolkit site and guide launches
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In Q3, we announced a new and reimagined Do It Yourself toolkit. It’s much more than just free software – we’ve packaged everything an organization or clinic needs to launch their own mHealth program. Read the full announcement here.
In the updated toolkit, organizations and clinics have access to a step-by-step guide, the Medic Mobile app, videos, and other materials. This version focuses on antenatal care programs, and we’re in the early testing phase of a version to coordinate childhood immunization programs.
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Medic Mobile's 2015 Annual Report
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In 2015, we grew our impact footprint, responded to crisis with moral urgency, dreamt about how systems should be designed, and built tools that will help create a more equitable future. Read our summary and reflections on the year in our annual report.
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In our regional office in Nairobi, we are excited that David Kitheka has joined us as an Accountant. Previously, David worked with Digital Divide Data Africa, USAID and DFID research projects, and Mozilla Digital Skills Observatory. David is a CPA finalist and holds an MSc in Finance from the University of Nairobi.
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Medic Mobile welcomed Derick Lung'aho as a new Tech Lead. Prior to joining our team, Derick worked at REFUNITE, leading analytics efforts for data visualization and building algorithms to help missing loved ones reconnect. Derick has also worked at Google, Nokia Research Centre, and the University of Nairobi in back-end, front-end, and mobile development. Derick has a degree in Computer Science from the University of Nairobi.
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We are very happy that Samuel Mbuthia has joined our team as a Tech Lead. Before joining Medic Mobile, Samuel held various roles at Nation Media Group – including web developer, applications developer, content manager, and solutions architect. He envisions a world where technology is used to solve important challenges. Samuel holds a BSc in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and an MSc in Computer-Based Information Systems.
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We are fortunate to have Nicole Rappin on board as our Operations Associate. In this role, Nicole works on internal knowledge management, grant management, and team coordination. Nicole comes to Medic from D-Rev, where she designed systems for HR, finance, grant management, and impact assessment. Nicole is passionate about creating effective solutions to global health problems. She holds a BA from Carnegie Mellon University in Anthropology and Music and an MBA from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.
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