Digital health innovator Maisha Meds has presented compelling new evidence on how technology is reshaping private-sector healthcare delivery across Africa, enabling governments to design more responsive, data-driven health policies.
Speaking at the National Annual Comunicable and Non Communicable Diseases and 19th Joint Scientific Health Conference,(NACNDC & JASH) a regional health conference, Bridgette Nalumu, Senior Analyst for Incubation Programs, detailed how the organisation’s integrated mobile software is strengthening service delivery at the last mile while unlocking real-world insights previously unavailable to policymakers.
Nalumu noted that Maisha Meds now works with over 2,000 private facilities in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria, a majority of them located in peri-urban and rural communities where health systems remain fragmented and underserved. “We are in the last mile,” she told delegates. “Our digital tools allow us to follow the journey of essential health commodities and ensure that the systems used by providers are standardised, efficient and aligned with WHO and Ministry of Health standards.”
At the core of Maisha Meds’ model is a mobile business software suite designed for pharmacies and drug shops. The platform replaces traditional pen-and-paper processes, allowing facilities to digitalise patient records, manage inventory, track treatments and access clinical decision support.
Providers receive training to integrate the software into routine care, enabling them to deliver higher-quality services at an affordable cost.
Nalumu explained that the platform supports multiple care pathways within a single system, enabling integrated service delivery in malaria, HIV, TB, women’s health, and emerging areas like vision and non-communicable diseases.
The software guides providers through standardised workflows—from screening and counselling to treatment initiation and referrals—ensuring quality care regardless of facility size or location. “Clients receive standardised counselling, clinical checks and referral support,” Nalumu said. “This level of integration is driving efficiency and real-time responsiveness across facilities.”
A major highlight of her presentation was the AMDIS Programme (Alternative Mechanisms for Delivery of Integrated Services), an ambitious Uganda-based initiative combining malaria treatment and HIV prevention under one digital platform.
The programme is already active across dozens of facilities, with pilots beginning in Mukono and Wakiso districts. Nalumu said the project aims to demonstrate how integrated service models can accelerate uptake of HIV prevention tools such as PrEP while improving malaria case management in high-burden areas.
Across borders, Maisha Meds is running an expanding programme in Nigeria to strengthen HIV treatment access and TB screening within private clinics. These services are fully linked to public health reporting systems, enabling governments to track progress in real time and allocate resources more effectively.
Nalumu emphasised that Maisha Meds’ most significant contribution goes beyond service delivery—the organisation generates real-world evidence that provides unprecedented visibility into the private sector, traditionally considered one of Africa’s “blind spots.”
By capturing data from thousands of facilities, Maisha Meds can show prescribing habits, disease trends, commodity availability and patient behaviour patterns. For example, recent findings revealed the high volume of non-communicable disease medications dispensed by private facilities, pointing to unmet needs that public sector data had not captured.
“Our digitalised tools generate real-time insights that inform policy and integrated health planning,” Nalumu said. “We are strengthening public-private collaboration and helping governments bridge information gaps to build efficient, patient-centred systems.”
She added that Maisha Meds is working with ministries of health to integrate its data into national platforms such as DHIS, improving national visibility on private-sector contributions to community health.
Nalumu concluded by urging stakeholders to embrace digital integration as a foundation for universal health coverage. “Effectiveness is assured when scale-up is guided by data,” she said. “We look forward to engaging further at our exhibition desk.”