{"id":49601,"date":"2019-12-19T11:31:45","date_gmt":"2019-12-19T16:31:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging24.finca.org\/uncategorized-en-gb\/health-care-social-enterprise-in-nigeria"},"modified":"2024-11-04T02:27:29","modified_gmt":"2024-11-04T07:27:29","slug":"health-care-social-enterprise-in-nigeria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/finca.org\/en-gb\/health-care-social-enterprise-in-nigeria","title":{"rendered":"Taking a Pulse on Health Care Social Enterprise in Nigeria"},"content":{"rendered":"

Powerful Economy, but Many Remain Left Behind<\/h2>\n

The plane touched down in Lagos, a megacity of more than 20 million people. Located in southwestern Nigeria in West Africa, Lagos is a port city just off the Gulf of Guinea. Toward year-end, it\u2019s common for temperatures to hover around 90 degrees, enhanced by the sweeping humidity off the Gulf waters.<\/p>\n

FINCA\u2019s head of Communications, Michael Leen, recently spent a week in Lagos and several other cities in Nigeria with one of our newest FINCA Ventures partner companies, MDaaS Global<\/a>. MDaaS (\u201cMedical Devices as a Service\u201d) builds and operates modern, convenient and affordable diagnostic centers in underserved communities. Michael took the trip to meet with staff, patients and doctors in the MDaaS network and return to the U.S. with stories and photos about their impactful work.<\/p>\n

The MDaaS clinics, operating under the name BeaconHealth Diagnostics, offer imaging, cardiac and lab services to identify health issues earlier and more accurately for effective treatment. These services are scarcely available in secondary and tertiary cities across Nigeria. Where available, medical diagnostic care is usually cost-prohibitive for the average citizen.<\/p>\n

Despite boasting Africa\u2019s biggest economy and being a leading investment destination for start-ups<\/a>, Nigeria is home to more extremely poor people<\/a> than any other nation on Earth. In fact, impoverished Nigerians are growing by six people every minute<\/a>, driven in part by birthrates. The world\u2019s fastest growing population, heavy infectious disease prevalence and a rise in non-communicable diseases position Nigeria for an intractable health crisis.<\/p>\n

Consequently, market-based solutions for health care, like those led by the social enterprise<\/a> MDaaS, are so important for poverty alleviation.<\/p>\n

Behind-the-Scenes at MDaaS<\/h2>\n

Upon arriving in Nigeria, Michael met with the founders of MDaaS in Lagos to review the itinerary and goals before setting out. The founding team<\/a> consists of four energetic entrepreneurs\u2014two Nigerians and two Americans\u2014including a married couple. Over traditional Nigerian fare\u2014spicy egusi soup (melon seeds, green vegetables, onions) with pounded yam\u2014the group discussed the local health care landscape and how FINCA could support this innovative social enterprise on its journey.<\/p>\n

\"Social-Enterprise-HealthTech-Nigeria-MDaaS-Global-Founders\"