Judith Oketch has taken emergency medical services to low-income families through an Uber-style app for ordering ambulances.
Getting to a hospital for a medical emergency can be a nightmare in Kenya’s capital. Ambulances, most of which are run by private companies, take long to arrive.
The problem is a tortuous process of calling a police dispatcher who connects them to an ambulance company or calling individual firms until they find one.
Judith’s firm is fixing the hitch via an app that allows speedy access to an ambulance at an annual fee of Sh200 for two evacuations in a year.
"WHO recommends at least one ambulance per a population of 50,000 people. If you do the math, you can see that we have some ground to cover."
Using the Ambulex app, users can track and communicate with the dispatched team until it arrives. Its drivers are equipped with technology for exact pick-up location and directions.
For now, the platform is connecting more than 22,000 families to more than 250 ambulances with plans to expand the fleet. Using the app, Judith hopes that Kenya is on a steady path to a future where ambulance services are easily accessible, affordable, and dignified.
Ordering an ambulance can cost between Sh5,000 and Sh8,500, which is often too expensive for many people.
Additionally, the platform seeks to encourage more people to get into the ambulance business to end the deficit the country is in.
“We have less than 1,000 ambulances in the country. WHO recommends at least one ambulance per a population of 50,000 people. If you do the math, you can see that we have some ground to cover,” says Judith.
The idea for Ambulex was inspired by a personal tragedy where a woman died because an ambulance couldn’t be dispatched quickly without upfront payment and the car that eventually moved her lacked necessary equipment.
Having witnessed gender-based violence while growing up in Kibra, she is also, through Ambulex offering support to combat GBV. The company works closely with the police to ensure the safety of both the response team and the victim.
–Ndugu Abisai