Merhaba,
M-PESA Foundation and Zuri Health, a healthtech startup, have partnered to provide free doctor consultations via SMS and WhatsApp in Kenya.
Patients who attend the scheuled M-PESA Foundation-funded free medical camps will have access to the service.
The patients may add up to three additional beneficiaries to the service. Chronic condition sufferers will also receive personalised care.
Then there's a dedicated chatbot number and SMS shortcode to gain access to all doctor services.
They plan to reach over 160,000 patients and the programme will run for six months.
Here's what I've got for you today:
- Uber, Bolt, InDriver begin strike
- EMGuidance launches PrescriBIT
Uber, Bolt, InDriver begin strike
Ride-hailing drivers, including Uber, Bolt, LagRide and InDriver, began a nationwide strike yesterday, June 7, 2023.
The drivers, operating under the Amalgamated Union of App-Based Transport Workers of Nigeria (AUATWON) aegis, said all ride-hailing drivers would participate in the strike as a result of the companies' denial of their demand for a 200% price increase on their platforms.
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Last Friday, the drivers' union demanded that Uber, Bolt, Lagride, InDriver, and other companies increase their prices by 200% and set the minimum trip fare at ₦2,000 ($4.30) urgently.
The union's National President, Adedamola Adeniran, claimed that the new fuel price was hurting its members' income and patronage. Unlike independent cab drivers, branded taxi drivers, bus drivers, and others, app-based drivers can not unilaterally raise their fares.
Kolawole Aina, the National Vice President of AUATWON for Southwest Nigeria, said the drivers planned to picket the Bolt and Uber offices in Lekki and Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria.
Besides, Adeniran urged the companies to refrain from deactivating any drivers due to the fuel subsidy removal.
The drivers had also requested a 50% decrease in the commission that Bolt, Uber, and other companies charge in addition to the price increase. Uber and Bolt charge a 20% commission on each ride.
The union also wants AUATWON to be acknowledged as their official representative organisation.
Despite the strike action, which is supposed to run until Friday, June 9, 2023, people can still book a ride on these platforms even though the union advised their members to stop providing services.
What’s more, one report says Bolt has implemented an enticing bonus of ₦6,000 ($12.64) for its drivers to lure and reward enough drivers into ending the AUATWON strike action.
Drivers will receive the bonus if they meet several requirements, including making between 9 and 11 trips, working a minimum of 7 hours, and accepting up to 90% of orders.
EMGuidance launches PrescriBIT
On Monday, Essential Medical Guidance (EMGuidance), a South African healthtech company, launched PrescriBIT, an electronic scripting mobile application.
PrescriBIT will streamline pharmacy and healthcare provider workflows while improving patient safety, cost-effectiveness, and ease of medication collection.
The startup says the platform employs Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), which ensures that scripts are legally compliant.
For context, pharmacists can securely accept and dispense all schedules digitally because they are immutably trackable. They can easily access and handle these prescriptions, speeding up and improving the accuracy of the dispensing process.
Doctors can then easily keep track of their patients' prescriptions to ensure they get the care they require.
The company, a digital platform that aids clinical decision-making, says the app will revolutionise how prescriptions are managed and shared in South Africa.
The goal of the digital healthcare platform has been to improve patient care outcomes by giving everyone in the healthcare ecosystem access to cutting-edge digital tools, the most recent diagnostics and treatment protocols, education, and local medical advice.
EMGuidance reports that it currently has 57,000 registered users in South Africa.
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Opportunities
- Substack is hiring a Product Designer. Apply here.
- Messari is hiring a Senior Frontend Engineer (data visualisation). You can apply here.
- SourceGraph is looking for a Product Manager. Apply here.
- Coinshift is looking for a Senior Product Designer, Customer Success Manager, and Senior Product Marketing Manager. Check out this link to apply for any of these remote positions.
- Several companies are looking for remote Product Manager, Software Engineering Manager, Data Engineer, Enterprise Account Manager, Security Researcher and Learning Experience Designer Jobs. Check out this link to see these roles and apply.
- Gelato Network is hiring remote for the following roles: Business Development Intern, Data Engineer, Develop Relations, Product Manager, Senior Frontend Engineer. Apply here.
- Kalepa is looking for a Senior Backend Engineer. Check out this page to apply.
- Paxos is hiring a senior IT engineer. Check out this link.
- Infra is looking for a lead software engineer. Apply here.
- If you are a software engineer, creative designer, product manager, design researcher, or a techie looking for an internship role, please, check out this website.
Have a terrific Thursday!
