To read our full 2024 annual report, including this letter from the CEO, click here.
As 2024 came to a close, Maisha Meds achieved a milestone that once seemed almost unimaginable: We directly supported over one million people through our patient programs in malaria, HIV, women’s health, vision, and more. For us, it’s more than a milestone; it’s the momentum that propels us toward serving the next million.
This came before the shifts to the global health funding landscape that few could have predicted at the time. This transition hasn’t come without disruption. It has created uncertainty, hard choices, and new constraints. But it has also pushed us to think critically about what works, what scales, and what’s truly sustainable.
Our years of investing in sustainable, cost-effective solutions have prepared us to navigate the new landscape with strength and purpose. I am proud to say, in 2024, Maisha Meds made a compelling case for why our model reflects the very future that global health now demands. Funders and partners increasingly seek programs that are cost-saving, locally led, strategic in the use of private sector resources, fully transparent, and that leverage technology to deliver exceptional value for every dollar invested.
This is the model we’ve built—and it’s the model we continue to grow.
Speaking of growth, we exceeded our boldest projections last year in terms of network, impact, and partner engagement. Our provider network expanded by over 60%, making us the largest digital network of private pharmacies and clinics in the region, now responsible for over 25 million patient visits per year. The number of people receiving direct support through our patient programs tripled compared to 2023, demonstrating that our tech-enabled model works at scale when backed by sustainable financing. And we showed that we could more than double the impact of each dollar compared to other programs—testing and treating malaria for as low as $3.20 per patient.
And we did it with best-in-class technology that tracks test results for malaria and HIV, every medication sold, and patient care unfolding in real time. This data doesn’t just help ensure accountability and improve our program; it has become a key resource for governments and global health partners — most recently featured in World Health Organization’s official guidance on diversifying malaria medicines to combat drug resistance.
And with yesterday’s progress, the future we envisioned is already coming into view. With our government and global health partners, we’re working to create a blueprint for transitioning programs from donor support to long-term domestic financing. And that’s exactly what we laid the groundwork for in 2024 through a flagship initiative in Lagos State, Nigeria. There, the government is fully adopting our model for malaria and fever care, thanks to catalytic funding through a World Bank loan. This will enable Lagos State to improve outcomes while decongesting government health facilities and saving on costs by caring for patients closer to home. Meanwhile, community pharmacies now have a clear pathway to register and refer patients into the public system—integrating providers who have long wanted to participate in these programs, and strengthening the broader health system.
All of this is to say, I’m especially proud of how we’ve built Maisha Meds. From day one, we’ve prioritized efficiency, scalability, and adaptability. We care for patients at 50-80% lower costs than status quo models. We’ve established independent supply chains that keep essential health products flowing and avoid reliance on any one country. And we’ve built a flexible platform that’s not only scalable in the providers and patients we reach, but also in the range of health challenges we can tackle.
This work isn’t just about creating and deploying software—for us, it’s deeply human. We’ve brought together a creative, compassionate, world-class team of people who make our community special. That includes teammates rooted in the communities we serve, building trusted relationships with local providers, and training and supporting them to use our tools to serve their communities. Technology powers our systems, but people power our technology.
As we look ahead to the next million lives, we’re not just ready to adapt, but to pave a path forward with a model built for resilience, partnership, and impact. And it’s precisely this combination of innovation and human impact that will drive our progress for years to come.
