MasterCard and PEPFAR Team Up in Africa

Exploring the use of digital technologies to improve services in Africa, PEPFAR and MasterCard intend to monitor the HIV epidemic.

Well this is pretty innovative!

According to their recent joint press release:

At the 2017 Concordia Annual Summit, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and Mastercard announced a new public-private partnership aimed at accelerating progress toward HIV/AIDS epidemic control. The partnership will explore the use of digital technologies and data analytics to improve access to and outcomes of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment services in Africa.

“We have made extraordinary progress toward achieving HIV/AIDS epidemic control in several high-burdened African countries, but key gaps remain,” said Ambassador Deborah L. Birx, M.D., U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy. “PEPFAR is thrilled to launch this pioneering partnership with Mastercard. By leveraging their extraordinary expertise in deploying digital solutions in resource limited settings, we can improve the health and well-being of the people that PEPFAR serves.”

“PEPFAR research shows that the majority of the cost of HIV/AIDS treatment is related to service delivery, not the cost of drugs,” said Tara Nathan, executive vice president, Public-Private Partnerships for Mastercard. “We believe innovative technology and service delivery models can help achieve greater efficiency in PEPFAR’s efforts, helping to prevent new HIV infections and reduce the number of AIDS deaths.”

Since PEPFAR’s launch in 2003, the U.S. government has not only saved millions of lives, but changed the very course of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, including by supporting over 12 million people with lifesaving antiretroviral treatment. This leadership is a direct reflection of the compassion and generosity of the American people, underpinned by a commitment to improve performance, find efficiencies, and increase impact.

As part of its broader financial inclusion efforts and commitment to using technology to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Mastercard has worked to improve the distribution and tracking of humanitarian aid addressing some of the world’s most challenging issues. This includes using its expertise to digitize healthcare management in resource limited settings. Exploring new ways of using digital technology to support HIV/AIDS control expands these efforts to build resilient communities through access to systems and services that drive inclusion.

It is so cool to see a unique partnership rise to the task in the cause of a global health epidemic. Kudos!