CarePay, the M-TIBA parent firm, has been awarded the 2019 Duke’s Choice Award for its M-TIBA platform which was launched commercially in Kenya in 2016.

CarePay uses the Java programming language to build technology modules for the M-TIBA platform and applications for a range of mobile devices.

The Duke’s Choice Award has been running for 17 years and is given to innovators who have used Oracle’s Java technologies in a uniquely innovative manner. M-TIBA was first developed in Kenya and is being used by over 4.5 million people across Africa who have registered on M-TIBA for savings and insurance schemes. It also processes payments to over 2,000 healthcare providers who are contracted on the platform.

CarePay digitally connects health payers (e.g. insurers), beneficiaries and healthcare providers on to one platform. The technology gives health scheme administrators a detailed view of how healthcare is being utilised and paid for. It informs decision-making on investments, epidemic responses, and quality of care.

In January 2019 Agence Française de Développement (AFD) – as part of a US$1.5 million grant – funded a range of new technology modules on the M-TIBA platform. These include biometric registration, enhanced integration with insurance IT systems and new patient data and privacy units.

PharmAccess Foundation deployed M-TIBA for registrations on universal health coverage pilots for three of four pilot counties in Kenya (Kisumu, Nyeri and Machakos). CarePay has been selected by Lagos State Health Management Agency to run registrations and scheme administration for its health insurance scheme in Lagos, Nigeria. This month AAR Insurance Kenya announced a new service that enables city customers to manage medical expenses using their mobile phones on M-TIBA.

On 23 September 2019 at the UN High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage, World Bank Group President, David Malpass, cited M-TIBA in Kenya as one of the new models for health financing and delivery, being supported by the World Bank and IFC.

The CarePay software engineering team has expanded from its Nairobi origins and now comprises of 45 developers based in Kenya and the Netherlands.

Kenneth Kimani, Director of Software Development, CarePay Kenya says, “CarePay has grown a world class Java capability. We are building and managing a massively robust health payments platform that can be used in a distributed environment and on a range of devices. This award recognises CarePay’s commitment to giving the people the power to care. It shows that technology can be used to make a positive change in achieving universal health coverage. And it shows that the skills to develop this technology are sitting right here in CarePay.”

Barry Lagerweij, IT Director, CarePay International said, “The award gives a boost to our developers as it shows that our solution is bringing positive changes in seemingly traditional health sectors. It gives people the power to make informed decisions on healthcare savings and access.”