Bodas For Life: Leveraging Local Infrastructure to Improve Access to Healthcare

“The Challenge”

Access to healthcare services to poor communities in developing countries, especially those in rural areasis limited by underdeveloped transportation networks. The expansion of wireless networks to rural areas brings with it the potential to dramatically upgrade rural healthcare, by developing cell phone-enabled systems and procedures to facilitate emergency response and facilitate transportation.

“The Opportunity”

During the summer of 2007, the first team of UC Berkeley Blum Fellows traveled to Uganda and one of the key issues identified during their field work was a lack of transportation to the district health centers. As a result, many patients do not use the health services that exist at the district level, foregoing preventative care and treatment.

The “Bodas for Life” project is designed to provide communities with a system to request and access affordable transportation so that individuals can receive appropriate medical care when in need thereby preventing further complications and improving long term health status. A main objective of the project is to leverage existing resources and infrastructure by using boda boda (motorcycle) drivers who typically have mobile phones and are located throughout most, if not all, rural areas. The project is based on the premise that poverty can be eradicated only by a healthy population with access to effective and efficient healthcare services. (Below Left: Blum Fellow Meera Chary with Boda Drivers. Credit: Amanda Oudin; Below Right: Boda Drivers on Market Day, Nakaseke District, Uganda. Credit: M. Ibrahim, 2007)

“The Response”

As follow-up to the first Blum Fellow team’s work, the “Bodas for Life” pilot project was launched in the fall of 2007 in Nakaseke District of Uganda, in partnership with the Ugandan Ministry of Health and Mbarara University. The pilot project identified boda boda drivers in three sub-counties of Nakaseke District (Kikamulo, Kapeeka and Nakaseke), where there are 6 health centers and 2 hospitals. Information about the availability of transport via boda boda was publicly distributed.

The boda boda drivers received first responder training where they learned to assess patients and determine if they are able to be transported; to apply bandages and splint simple fractures, and to treat poisoning. Each boda boda driver keeps a log book of the patients transported and health center and hospital personnel counter-sign the book verifying the transport. A district health supervisor validates the log book and authorizes payment. When the driver has transported ten patients one direction (either to or from the health facility), he receives a voucher for 10,000 Uganda Shillings (approximately $5.80), which can be used for the purchase of fuel.

After a successful three-month pilot, the project design has been refined and the project leaders are in the process of expanding the “Bodas for Life” pilot project to additional sub-counties in Nakeseke and Kyenjojo Districts. In Nakeseke, the project is expanding into all eight subcounties and in Kyenjojo, the project is launching in six sub-counties. Between February and September, the Bodas for Life program will serve 40 health facilities by training and supporting 80 boda drivers. The 2008 Blum Fellows will spend August in Uganda evaluating the program and making recommendations for a business model to sustain the program. Final data collection and analysis will be completed by late 2008. (Below: Blum Fellows and Uganda Ministry Of Health officials meet in Kampala. Credit: George Scharffenberger)

Participating Students

Alison Bloch, MBA and MPH student, 2008
Maryanne Brown, BS and BA student, Business and Political Science, 2009
Meera Chary, MBA student, 2008
Sonya Dublin, MPH and MSW student, 2009
Melissa Higbie, MBA and MPH student, 2009
Sunny Lai, BA student, Development Studies, 2009
Roxanne Miller, MBA student, 2009
Amanda Oudin, MPP student, 2008
James Platts, MBA and MPH student, 2008

Partner Organizations

Science and Technology, Office of the President, Uganda
Ministry of Health, Uganda
Science and Technology Enterprise Development Organization, Uganda
Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Uganda

Geographical Focus

Kyenjojo and Nakaseke Districts, Uganda