Global Courant
Starting Wednesday As of June 21, 2023, the United Nations estimates Africa’s population at approximately 1.435 billion people, approximately 16.72% of the world’s population. With such a population, the continent lacks proper healthcare facilities and infrastructure to meet its needs. Many African countries lack reliable healthcare facilities, adequate resources and personnel. So how can the continent deal with disease outbreaks?
This is reported by the US National Institute for Health, Africa faces a dual burden of disease, characterized by the increasing prevalence of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCD) and the struggle to tackle infectious diseases. Poor healthcare systems and high rates of urbanization have contributed to periodic increases in communicable diseases.
In Kenya, health challenges include high maternal and infant mortality rates and a high burden of infectious diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. Malaria remains a major public health problem in Kenya, accounting for an estimated 16% of outpatient consultations.
But the main problem in the country’s health sector is the lack of jobs for doctors (medicines). About 4,000 trained doctors in the country are unemployed, even as both public and private hospital staff are overwhelmed by thousands of patients every day. This has led to recurring suicides among trained doctors.
This challenge is significant, but not insurmountable. Every problem is a potentially profitable business opportunity, according to to Dr. Henrietta Onwuegbuzie, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship at Lagos Business School. This is the problem that Dr. Wambui Karingithi identified and together with Chiza Health he is trying to create a sustainable solution for Kenyan doctors.
Karingithi is the founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Chiza Health, a health tech startup. While the Kenya-based startup is still in its acceleration phase, it has an ambitious plan to transform Africa’s healthcare ecosystem, starting in Kenya. In a recent interview, Karingithi speaks with Ventures Africa.
Venture Africa (VA): What was it like growing up for you and what event in your childhood shaped your personality?
Wambui Karingithi (WK): Growing up, I was lucky to have parents who were present and capable enough to take care of my every need. My mother was my role model and all I wanted to do was make my mother proud. I couldn’t imagine disappointing her. So in school I tried my best to be an A student. I was in the scouts and science clubs and was a teacher’s pet. Math and science were my favorite subjects.
I honestly can’t remember how my dream of becoming a doctor started, but according to what my family told me, it started when I was 4 years old. I have been taught since childhood never to shy away from a challenge. This is what has kept me going so far. Challenges drive me. I think I can prove to myself that I am capable. The challenges I faced while working hard at school and years on the road to a job have all shaped me into the woman I am today.
VA: Show us what it means as a Kenyan woman to be a Health-tech startup founder.
WK: As a young woman, who is a doctor, with a young family, very little business experience and zero technical skills, this journey has become quite an experience.
Once you start a health tech company, some of the questions people ask are things like, “Are you sure you’re ready for this? What experience do you have running a health startup? Which influential medic is supporting you?”
I remember when me and my co-founder decided to start looking for and applying for investors at various venture capital firms, Hubs and Angel Investors, I had to start learning investor vocabulary. My sister had to teach me finance. We kept getting regret emails from VCs after introductory meetings, that we are still too early, or that we have no income. Even the Health Tech Hubs needed revenue.
I was then an unemployed doctor and started a business. You can imagine how hard it was. It was such a challenge because we had started from scratch and we needed money and mentorship to launch our product. I think the startup world needs to be more lenient towards startup companies.
But those challenges, with the encouragement of my husband, family and friends, pushed me further. I kept applying until we got into two accelerator programs this year, Africa Impact Initiative & Accelerate Africa from Future Africa, which propelled me to where we are today.
Wambui Karingithi, Founder and CEO, Chiza Health.
VA: What inspired you to launch Chiza Health?
WK: After I qualified for medical school, I thought my dreams had finally come true. I’m a doctor. I look for a job, practice and help people. But that was not the case. I tarred for a year and a half without finding work.
I used to make a list of facilities around me and drop by Monday through Friday to drop off resumes. I received no response from them or I received regret emails. Some days I was lucky enough to get through to the interview stages with a few facilities, but most of them had a very poor payment structure. I went to work for free. It was heartbreaking for me, but then I realized I wasn’t the only doctor facing that challenge. I wanted to change that.
Africa has a total of 3.6 million medics and more than a million unemployed people in different countries. Kenya has nearly 50,000 medics who are unemployed. Yet 1,000 doctors graduate every year. And the numbers will continue to increase every day.
The healthcare system in Africa is quite disrupted. From the poor quality of health facilities and the unemployment of doctors to poor home care services and poor access to quality health care. That’s why I founded Chiza Health. We are working to improve the quality of the African healthcare system, starting in Kenya.
VA: Tell us a little more about Chiza Health, what you do and what sets you apart.
WK: Chiza Health is a health tech company that I co-founded with my co-founder, Ian Mutai, in April 2022. Our mission is to transform the African healthcare ecosystem, starting in Kenya.
We have several products that we hope to launch in the coming years, Chiza MedicHub, Chiza Care and My Chiza.
Chiza MedicHub is our first product. It is a scheduling and staffing solution that would bridge the gap between unemployed medics and understaffed facilities. Medici (everyone in healthcare) sign up and become a member of the Chiza MD Bank. Through the platform, they can easily indicate their availability for the coming month in order to take on substitute shifts. What’s more, doctors get access to training and education models within the platform, which continuously improves their knowledge and skills.
On-board medical facilities, on the other hand, are given access to a pool of qualified medics to undertake their services based on their experience, availability and proximity. These facilities can internally shift and schedule their staff within the platform. With this product we bring efficiency to the personnel and planning systems in healthcare.
VA: As a tech founder, have you experienced any sort of gender bias? Share a story.
WK: Honestly, I haven’t. The startup world has now evolved.
VA: How have you managed to stay on top of your game in your industry?
WK: I’m afraid of failure. Remember when I said: Challenges drive me? Exactly that. I force myself to make sure I give Chiza Health my all.
What has helped me stick to my business so far is the fact that I’ve been lucky enough to have a great support system – my husband and family have supported me. Receiving advice from my close circle of friends and those who have been in the startup world longer than I have really helped me get to where I am today. Most importantly, having the right co-founder who shares your dreams and vision is super important.
VA: Have you had access to an accelerator program since you started Chiza Health?
WK: Yes. Late last year I had the privilege of being a part of the Future is Female Mentorship Program 3rd Cohort. I learned a lot about PR, marketing and the importance of telling a story. It changed my view on PR and its importance for startups.
This year, Chiza Health qualified for the Health Entrepreneurship African Impact Initiative Pre-Incubation Program, which lasted six weeks. This has helped guide me through various business aspects of my startup.
Currently, Chiza Health was one of 25 selected startups – out of 500 startups – to participate in Future Africa’s Accelerate Africa program. This has been a great journey. We currently have two mentors, one of them is the managing partner of Future Africa and the other Olamide Afolabi, CEO and founder of Touch and Pay, an alumnus of Y-Combinator. Thanks to these accelerator programs we have been able to start our pilot phase.
We hope to be able to start onboarding doctors in Kenya at the beginning of July. This is great progress on our part.
VA: What is your career hack for people who want to enter the startup ecosystem as a founder/co-founder?
WK: I came across a really good quote a while back. And it says, “View every person you meet as a door that can lead you to a new opportunity.” I think this is the best advice you would give anyone in the startup world.
