As part of efforts to provide quality and affordable medical care delivery, Vodafone Ghana has partnered Fastcare Clinics to launch a cash transfer platform for residents in less privileged communities within Accra to enable them access healthcare.
The service enables users on Vodafone Cash services to dial *110#, select option ‘4’ to make payments under ‘schemes’ and select Fastcare, while following prompts to set-up. Subscribers by this process are to pay GH¢1 daily through the platform to get medical care and service whenever it is necessary.
The services to be accessed by residents of Agbogbloshie and surrounding communities include consultation and medication, diagnostics including ultrasound, chemistry, hematology and ambulance services.
Speaking at the partnership’s launch, Head of Vodafone Cash, Martison Obeng-Agyei, said formerly customers subscribed to the Clinic’s services by meeting with some of the facility’s staff to pay the GH¢1 daily, a situation that caused inconvenience to both parties.
He explained that the partnership would therefore make it easy for members of the public to seek medical services while dedicating their time profitably to their income-generating activities. “At the end of the month they would have paid GH¢30 each, which would allow them to access healthcare on any day they need it,” he said.
Mr. Obeng-Agyei said Vodafone is prepared to work with Fastcare Clinics to extend medical services for a wide array of needy and vulnerable people to secure their welfare. Vodafone Cash, he said, is the only money transfer platform that does not charge users for sending money to either Vodafone networks or others, and encouraged people to take advantage and access the humanitarian service.
For his part, Chief Executive Officer-Fastcare Clinics, George Ayeh, reiterated that the clinic formerly faced a big challenge going round to take the payments, and hence commended Vodafone Ghana for the support it rendered to them – especially their clients. “Most of our clients are between low- to middle-income earners, so taking time off their busy schedules to pay GH¢1 every day was difficult for them; but this will make things easy and enable them to easily access primary healthcare,” he said.
Mr. Ayeh said the facility also supports their clients to access secondary healthcare with dignity from bigger health facilities they had established affiliations with. “We understand the needs of people in deprived communities like this, and that is why we create an environment like this for them to get the necessary care they deserve as humans,” he added.
He said they are working to extend the services to other low- to middle-income communities like Agbogbloshie, Ashaiman, Accra Newtown, Sukura, Madina and Adenta.
