Safaricom has beat tech giants Google, Apple, Yahoo and Microsoft to be among the top ten most innovative companies for 2013 according to a survey by Fast Company.
Safaricom’s Daktari 1525, a 24/7 call-in service that, for a small fee, connects callers one-on-one with a doctor launched late 2011 is becoming central in the lives of many Kenyans and Fast Company says this year Safaricom is “boosting marketing to get more customers calling, and more Kenyans healthy.”
According to Fast Company more than 50 percent of Kenyans live on less than a dollar a day, making medical care a far-off luxury. But local telecom giant Safaricom is playing a vital role in bridging between doctor and patient. Fast Company has an annual guide to the state of innovation in the global economy and features businesses whose innovations are having the greatest impact across industries and cultures.
Late October Safaricom slashed by half call costs the calling rates to Daktari 1525 from Kshs.20 per minute in a move to increase Kenyans ability to access quality healthcare. At the moment the service had nearly 2,000 calls per day and had recorded over 200,000 calls since it 2011 launch.
The service is owned by Safaricom Ltd and Call-a-Doc Ltd, a medical information service.
