Ambulance alternatives Waterloo firm aims to deliver affordable emergency service to Nigerians
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Steve Sugrim photo
up front, in installn many North ments, or by employAmerican comers/insurers. munities, people A subscription who have a medical emergency dial 911. model works in a “In my home councountry where 80 try of Nigeria, there is percent of health care no one to call,” Folake spending is out of Owodunni says. pocket, Owodunni In Ontario, there said. Most hospitals reis one ambulance for quire payment upfront every 11,000 people. prior to treatment. In Nigeria, there is one ERA has surveyed Folake Owodunni and Maame Poku won $10,000 at MEDA’s pitch ambulance for every potential clients to see competition. 191,00 people. The what they would pay for November. The MEDA pitch compeWorld Health Organization recomthe service and based pricing accordmends a minimum ratio of an ambu- tition saw five finalists from the US ingly. Lowest income earners would and Canada compete for the Allan lance per 80,000 people. pay a flat fee of one percent of salary. Sauder Social Innovators Award. Without ambulance access, Signing up 15,000 subscribers That award is sponsored by Ron people depend on bystanders to get would provide $40,000 in profit that and Barb Schlegel and family. It was them to the hospital and receive no they could re-invest in the company. named in honor of former MEDA care on the way. In Nigeria, “the The Lagos pilot, in partnership president Sauder. He worked for the ambulances that exist lack the staff with a non-governmental organization organization for 31 years, serving 16 and communication to be effective,” there, will involve training first reyears as president before retiring in she says. sponders on first aid, triage and basic late 2018. More than 200,000 people die care. ERA will provide internationally A few days after that win, ERA annually from road traffic accidents accepted training and liability insurwon $10,000 at the Evoke Tech For or complications from heart disease, ance coverage to protect responders. Good Competition in Toronto. “common addressable emergencies.” A dispatcher will input requests ERA combines training, technolOwodunni and Maame Poku for service, identify the closest ogy and transportation to deliver met while doing Master of Business, responder and contact them on a medical care to victims. Current Entrepreneurship and Technology mobile app. systems offer expensive care for the ERA has a Go Fund Me campaign studies at University of Waterloo. wealthy. That results in 95 percent of underway to raise additional funds They have formed a company to for the pilot. The firm will eventually address this problem. Emergency Re- Nigerians preferring to call a neighbe seeking investors. They hope their sponse Africa (ERA) is developing an bor instead of an ambulance. They hope to respond within system will launch by this fall. affordable, fast and safe ambulance three to 10 minutes, using lower-cost system in Nigeria. The project may eventually ambulance tricycles, at a fee 70 perThe firm has won three pitch expand to other countries which face cent less than a regular ambulance. competitions since July, cash prizes similar challenges, such as Ghana Their target market is 42 million they will use towards a pilot this and Uganda. In Ghana, ambulances Nigerians (of 203 million who live in winter in Lagos, the largest city. take up to three hours to arrive, the country) who are earning a living said Poku, a Ghanaian native whose After winning $5,000 at a UW wage. ERA will sell its service as an grandmother died when an ambucontest, they won $10,000 at the lance did not arrive promptly. ◆ MEDA pitch competition in Tucson in annual subscription that can be paid 7
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