Healthcare solution provider Penda Health has today announced a partnership with Kasha Technologies that will enable it to increase access to its contraceptive products via the Kasha digital platform. After Launching in Rwanda in 2016, Kasha expanded their digital platform into Kenya in 2019. Kasha is built to provide affordable access to products, information and services to all women to ensure they can make their best health decisions.
The partnership comes amidst an increasing need for contraceptives among the married and unmarried, sexually active women. Recent data from Guttmacher Institute show that unmet need for modern contraception in the country is higher among unmarried, sexually active adolescent women than among married adolescent women at 44% and 32% respectively as of 2019. This, even as the Ministry of Health report an increase in contraceptive prevalence rate among married women to 58% from 46 % in the last decade with a decline in unmet need for Family Planning to 18% as of 2019.
Commenting on the new partnership, Penda Health Director of External Affairs, Salome Mwaura said, “As part of our mission to offer all possible options for contraception, we saw it fit to offer a seamless path for patients to get the method, product and service they need and make them feel more ready to make an informed contraceptive choice. We have faith that Kasha will be able to point them to the right provider, Penda Health included – even as we continue to leverage on creating healthcare solutions for the future – from using cutting-edge technology to deliver better healthcare to helping players increase their reach to more patients.”
The agreement, signed today between the two at Penda Health offices at Simco Plaza, Industrial Area, will see Kasha add long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) and select short-acting methods to their digital platform. The list includes IUDs, Implants, and injectables (both intramuscular injectable and DMPA-SC).
Besides listing the contraceptive products, Kasha will refer patients that order those methods on the platform to Penda Health medical centres for service provision, in addition to those who require gynaecology and obstetrics counselling.
Penda Health will support Kasha by providing contraceptive counselling to those individuals referred by Kasha and administer the patient’s desired method as eligible. The patients will pay the service fee as indicated by the Penda Health Medical Centres’s price list during their visit.
The Healthcare solution provider will also be responsible for ensuring that all services provided to Kasha users are compliant with clinical and medical regulations in Kenya and that they receive appropriate contraceptive counselling, medical screening and all other relevant care and treatment in line with Penda Health’s standard operating procedures.
“Our vision is to provide access to health services, information and products to enable every woman to make the best health decisions for herself and her family. We are therefore delighted to be partnering with Penda health to extend our contraceptive offering and give women the opportunity to visit a trusted partner for additional in person services,” said Kasha Director of Partnerships, Patrick Russell
In addition to the product listing, Kasha and Penda Health will also collaborate on sexual and reproductive health education sessions to be rolled out in-person and virtually (including the use of social media broadcast).
Kasha will coordinate the sessions with Penda Health who will avail health experts to share information or receive questions from Kasha users.
The partnership also comes at a time when Penda Health is celebrating serving 1 million patients since inception in 2012.
