Please click HERE to see this newsletter in your web browser.
MM4H: Mobile Money for Health Solutions
Over the past year, we've uncovered some exciting and innovative uses of mobile money in the health sector. We reflect on these highlights in this newsletter and share additional resources we've collated on this topic.
We’ll continue to track and document the uptake of mobile money in health in the year ahead and look forward to hearing from you with your updates and feedback. Stay tuned for regular updates and resources on MM4H!
-The HFG Mobile Money team
Top 2013 MM events with potential impact on the health sector
This list highlights some of the top moments for mobile money in 2013. It includes news and events that are specific to the health sector along with broader mobile money updates that have potential implications for health.
Increased global commitments towards mobile money.In 2013, USAID made a big push to encourage the use of of e-payment mechanisms in project planning and proposals.
Kenya’s M-Pesa continued to lead the way for mobile money.M-Pesa received a new award in November 2013. This recent interview with the head of Safaricom, Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, reveals insights on how the company continues to build and design its business to reach the poor.
Governments commit to using mobile money. National and local governments (e.g. in the Philippines and in Malawi) have made commitments to using mobile money.
CGAP launched Digital Financial Plus, which includes a database to track mobile money use in health, education, water, agricultural, and other sectors. There is much to be learned from the launch and uptake of mobile money in social sectors and this tracker is a promising resource with potential to promote cross-sector learning.
Mobile Money infographics. Most notably, this one, this one, and this one. We included these because they provide information on mobile money in an interesting, creative, and engaging way.
Indonesia moves towards interoperability. The three largest mobile money network providers in Indonesia agreed to enable mobile money transfers across their networks in order to work together to drive mobile money uptake in Indonesia.
D-Tree scaled up their mobile money program, which enables community health workers to pay for a patient’s emergency transportation to a health facility and incentivizes appropriate referrals.
The HFG project has released a new paper that provides an overview of mobile money use in the health sector. Read the full report online HERE.
This paper reviews current use cases and potential applications of mobile money in health with the overall objective of bringing attention to the benefits and challenges of using mobile money in the health sector. Some content includes the use of mobile money for:
bulk payments for salaries and per diems,
conditional cash transfer and pay-for-performance schemes,
collection of health insurance premiums, and
management of voucher schemes
The paper also includes three detailed case studies that represent some of the most documented examples of mobile money and health:
Follow the links above to read about each organization. Learn about how they're using mobile money in the profiles featured in this paper!
Profiling MM4H Use Cases
The HFG Mobile Money activity has identified 13 MM4H use cases and is building profiles on each program to identify and document emerging trends in mobile money and health and to spotlight programs that are effectively using and scaling up the use of mobile money in health. Contact us to learn more or to share an example by replying to this newsletter.
The Health Finance and Governance (HFG) Project’s Mobile Money to Strengthen Health Systems Activity is driving innovative mobile phone-based payment solutions, to expand the reach of health services to poor populations and to improve the efficiency, security, and transparency of financial transactions in the health sector.Designed for public health professionals, this newsletter is intended to highlight how mobile payment services (using mobile phones to transfer or store funds) can improve healthcare delivery.
Please contact us to share your news about mobile money applications in health or if you would like to contribute to this newsletter. For more information about the HFG Mobile Money Activity and how it is supporting the uptake of innovative payment solutions in countries, contact Marty Makinen (mmakinen@r4d.org)
