What Works: Healthnet Uganda's Evolution from NGO to Sustainable Enterprise

WRI’s business case studies go deeper into some of the most promising projects represented in the Digital Dividend Clearinghouse, providing detailed description and analysis of each business model, the market segment in which it operates, its successes and challenges, potential replicability and scalability. If possible, the study also documents the social impact of the venture.

Digital Dividends contracts teams of MBA students, under supervision of business school faculty, to research and write our business case studies, as they are uniquely suited to provide unbiased, professional assessments of the business models at low cost. Using MBA students has the added advantage of helping to interest a generation of future business leaders in microenterprise and global development issues.

HealthNet Uganda is pioneering the use of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) in the African healthcare sector to provide practitioners with real-time access to vital information. The technology also allows for easier consultation, real-time ordering of medicines, and access to medical journals - all of which improves the quality of Uganda’s health care system. HealthNet Uganda’s leadership and strategic planning have allowed it to successfully transition from a grant-funded project to a stand-alone non-profit organization, in part due to its ability to secure support from the Ugandan government. By introducing cutting-edge technology within an innovative business model, HealthNet Uganda is successfully working to improve the health of millions of citizens.