OTI ships 100,000 more MediSmart cards to Kenya
28 February, 2011
category: Biometrics, Health
On Track Innovations has received an additional order for 100,000 MediSmart health care biometric ID cards from Kenya’s Smart Applications International (SMART).
According to OTI, the MediSmart solution includes biometric cards, readers and related software that are seamlessly integrated with hospital management systems. MediSmart cards provide holders with complete medical history, biometric identification (photo and fingerprints) and co-payment options, as well as enable the management of joint state and private sector funding and service delivery models.
MediSmart is aimed primarily at reducing fraud in the medical insurance sector, which, according to the Kenya’s Business Daily, causes an estimated 40% loss of revenue of total claims. That in turn causes higher insurance rates at a time of growing loss in the medical insurance industry when providers are scrambling for more business, says OTI.
To date, nearly 200,000 MediSmart cards have been issued by SMART and more than 2,000 contactless smart card readers and other device points of service have been deployed at hospitals, pharmacies and general practitioner sites across Kenya, says OTI.
“Out of an estimated work force of 12 million people, less than a million Kenyans actually have private medical insurance coverage, which represents a tremendous growth opportunity for the health care insurance industry. However this opportunity will only be a reality when solutions like the one provided by SMART and OTI become the route to market,” said Pauline Muriuki, CEO of SMART.
