Funds and Electronic Transfer Solutions, a Central Bank of Nigeria-licensed mobile money operator, says it has partnered PharmAccess Mobile Health Research Laboratory to complete a study on digital payment.
The study focuses on how digital payment for healthcare can be made using the FETS’ mobile money wallet platform called fetswallet.
The main objective was to study how mobile phones and mobile payment technologies can be used to improve access to affordable and quality healthcare services to individuals and communities otherwise constrained.
FETS, in a statement on Sunday, said the study was designed to introduce low-income households to mobile payment as an alternative to cash payments for health services.
The statement said, “The observation study was carried out on four health facilities and 50 low-income households in Makoko (a peri-urban community in Lagos), primarily targeting women with under-five children (classified as principals for the mHealth experiment) who owned a mobile phone.”
The Country Director, PharmAccess Nigeria, Mrs. Njide Ndili, was quoted as saying that the study underscored the importance of mobile communications technology as having the potential to “bring healthcare within the reach of people who so far have remained largely off the radar, thereby catalyzing the move towards a truly inclusive health system in Nigeria.
“The PharmAccess Mobile Health Research Lab in Nigeria – in partnership with FETS – is providing that space where innovation in mobile health meets research, and we are glad to collaborate with fets towards creating sustainable health market innovations in Nigeria.”
The Managing Director, FETS, Mrs. Omotade Odunowo, said, “We are delighted to partner with PharmAccess in this innovative initiative.  We’re determined to spread the ‘gospel’ of electronic money transfer via fets to every nook and cranny in the country.
“The results of the research will form viable data to inspire more of our service and product offerings to reach more Nigerians, especially disadvantaged individuals and communities who will benefit from our services.”
PharmAccess is a Dutch not-for-profit organisation dedicated to improving access to healthcare in Africa with innovative financing mechanisms.