Digital health financing in remote communities
In 2021, mTOMADY and Doctors for Madagascar began working with the Bayer Foundation to alleviate the impact of COVID-19 and severe drought on farming families across southern Madagascar.
The program provided digital cash transfers to subsidize the cost of essential health services, providing immediate relief to the crisis and paving the way for subsequent digital health coverage programs in the region and beyond.
During the first year of the initiative, smallholder farmers in the Atsimo-Andrefana region were able to digitally enroll in the health coverage program Tosik’aina, which covers 80% of healthcare costs. In 2021, mTOMADY partnered with the Malagasy government to extend Tosik’aina throughout the neighboring region of Anosy. As of October 2022, the services have been expanded to include digital claims filing and integrated into a merged project called Avotr'aina, which translates to "saving lives". The same technical infrastructure is being used to launch a digital health savings wallet in Democratic Republic of the Congo this year.
Many of the families that benefit from Tosik’aina live in remote communities across southern Madagascar, and lack access to many of the technologies that can help drive financial inclusion. Because mTOMADY works in no- and low-network settings, it brings digital health financing services to communities that are too often excluded from its benefits.
60 Decibels conducted an independent evaluation of the program, with findings that included:
96% of beneficiaries say they access better quality health services because of Tosik’aina.
95% of beneficiaries had not had prior access to a health coverage program like Tosik’aina, and 90% say they would not be able to find a good alternative.
83% of Tosik’aina beneficiaries lived on less than $2$ per person per day.
Location: Atsimo-Andrefana & Androy Region, Madagascar
Active: Since 2020
