Baobab Circle: Managing chronic disease through digital tech

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) account for 7 out of 10 deaths globally. Many low- and middle-income countries have yet to integrate NCD care into universal health coverage schemes, putting millions of people at risk of dying for lack of care or of falling into extreme poverty because they must pay for it themselves.

Across Africa, people with NCDs such as diabetes and hypertension experience higher rates of medical complications such blindness, stroke, kidney disease and amputations. They also bore the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a surge in preventable hospitalisations and deaths.

For NCD patients, continuous care and self-management support are required to sustain medication adherence and healthy behaviours while reducing infectious disease risk.

Through its digital platform Afya Pap, Baobab Circle provides medical oversight and support to people with NCDs in African countries including Kenya and Uganda, targeting low-income communities. The service encompasses daily personalised health coaching (eg on nutrition and exercise), blood pressure and blood glucose monitoring and the possibility of contacting a qualified health service provider who can provide medical advice and electronic prescriptions via mobile phone. The basic service is available in English and in many local languages for as little as USD 1 per month.

Baobab Circle also offers healthcare providers information on best practices for NCD management via Afya Pap’s caregiver module and training in how to use the platform to connect with patients and how to monitor blood glucose and blood pressure remotely. By including healthcare providers on the platform, Baobab Circle not only supports continuity of care but also takes the opportunity to encourage providers to reduce their charges to patients.

The Swiss Re Foundation began supporting Baobab Circle in 2021 with a grant to scale up its service and user base. Within two years, Baobab Circle had:

• Recruited and onboarded 20 people to serve in the newly created role of community health educator
• With the support of the community health educators, increased the number of low-income people using its service from 10 000 to 79 000
• Organised more than 83 health camps where residents of low-income communities could receive free blood pressure and blood sugar screenings

In an extension of the project, the Swiss Re Foundation is supporting Baobab Circle as it pilots and scales various business models that target corporate clients as a way to ensure its long-term financial sustainability.

60 Decibels - Baobab Circle Report

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