KAMPALA –Smart Applications International Ltd, the provider of biometrics, has unveiled a promising solution to help curb fraud in the Ugandan insurance and health sectors.
Judy Mugoya, the Country Manager, Smart Applications International Uganda Limited said the application, launched in Kampala on Wednesday represents a significant step forward in leveraging technology to improve transparency in healthcare administration.
“Smart Access is a virtual platform to allow a member covered under a medical insurance scheme through an insurer or in-house scheme to download the application which provides you with information,” said Mugoya, automating the insurance process will help curb fraud.
She explained that the mobile application will provide one with information about their medical coverage, family member benefits, the capability to initiate a visit before they reach the hospital, and many other benefits.
“Our members will now have better information about what they are covered for. The system provides you will real-time information. In terms of managing fraud, we are linking your phone number to this app to enable you to download and get benefits. This will limit fraud because there are no chances of two people sharing the same phone number. Therefore, using the phone number allows you to download the application.”
“We are also giving an opportunity to the service providers including hospitals, clinics, and any other to identify the person visiting them. Whereas the visit code comes to the client’s phone, the second layer is the fingerprint that you have to use to access the service. “
Uganda Insurers Association (UIA) CEO, Jonan Kisakye welcomed the innovation that he said is going to revolutionalize the insurance sector.
“More than 30% of the losses that insurers get today are as a result of manual systems under medical insurance. When you visit a medical facility, you are still required to complete a physical form despite having an insurance card that has all information you need. Despite having the card with all information, we haven’t had a fully integrated system where medical service providers, insurers, and clients are using a common platform where each can access information. That is where the new solution by Smart comes in to bring everyone within the ecosystem,” Kisakye said.
“Smart now gives us the power as insurance providers and as the public to access the information and use it.”
Jonan Kisakye, the Chief Executive Officer of Uganda Insurance Association an umbrella association of insurance providers in the country told reporters that cases of fraud and false insurance claims have been rampant in the industry.
Kisakye attributed up to 30 percent of the losses in the sector to the use of manual cards.
Several biometrics providers are also launching technologies intended to complement their (or partner’s) core offerings with additional layers of security against fraud.
Meanwhile, he also decried the low penetration of insurance in the country, revealing that one 1 percent of the country’s population is covered.
He said technology and automation will be of great help in ensuring the uninsured population is also covered.
“It means if we can adopt technology like the Smart app, we can cover more people. The majority of insurers are in cities and towns but anyone outside these locations may not be able to access insurance services. Such developments like the Smart app mean that even onboarding members will be easy and sharing of information. With the mobile application, the client in the comfort of the home, shop, or garden can access insurance services and it will impact directly on reach for insurers.”
