Kenyan e-pharmacy company, MyDawa, has received a total of Ksh145 million (USD1.2 million) from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation associated with the world's fifth richest person, Bill Gates.
The money is expected to be used to develop the country's first ever telehealth solution aimed at reducing the country's HIV prevalence.
The company, on October 24, confirmed that it had already developed the virtual healthcare solution which seeks to allow individuals access PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) services easily.
The technological advancement has been in the works since 2021 when the partnership was first floated to aid in the prevention of the rapidly spreading HIV virus.
The money was given to the e-pharmacy company in conjunction with the University of Washington, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Fred Hutch Cancer Research Centre, Jhpiego and Audere.
Eastern and Southern Africa has the highest number of people living with HIV with 21 million of the 38 million individuals inhabiting the two regions.
The new technology is aimed at helping individuals exposed to HIV to access PrEP drugs which protect them from contracting the virus.
“MYDAWA will adapt its current model that ensures a seamless end to end customer-centered delivery solution for those seeking PrEP across the country.
"Specifically, this investment will leverage on MYDAWA’s well-established model to expand PrEP delivery online," stated the company's CEO Tony Wood.
The technology was approved by the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI).
The Foundation
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was founded in 2000 by the former couple after they read a newspaper article.
As new parents at the time, they were disheartened by the article, detailing how children were dying in some countries worldwide of preventable diseases.
Since then, the foundation, which was a merger of two different entities, has taken part in health initiatives especially on the African continent.
At the time, Gates was the world's richest person from his tech company's fortunes. Today, the billionaire has an estimated net worth of USD103 billion as per Forbes latest ranking.
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