A Port Harcourt-based healthtech startup, Andrea Aid, is tackling one of Nigeria’s biggest healthcare financing challenges by connecting verified patients with donors through a medical crowdfunding platform designed to improve transparency and reduce fraud.
Unlike traditional crowdfunding platforms, Andrea Aid partners directly with hospitals to verify patients’ medical conditions before fundraising campaigns are published. Donations are paid directly to healthcare facilities rather than to patients’ personal bank accounts.
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Kizito Don-Pedro, said the model was designed to restore trust in online medical fundraising by ensuring every campaign is authentic.
“We’re big on transparency, authenticity and putting up verified cases. Before now, there has been a trend of people putting falsified fundraising needs online. So we’re trying to remove fraud by working with hospitals” – Don-Pedro
Nigeria continues to face significant healthcare financing challenges, with only about 4-6% of the national budget allocated to healthcare, far below the 15% target set under the Abuja Declaration. As a result, an estimated 90–95% of Nigerians lack adequate health insurance and rely largely on out-of-pocket payments for medical care.
The platform was created to help Nigerians without adequate health insurance raise funds for medical treatment, as many families continue to rely on friends, relatives, and strangers to cover unexpected healthcare costs. This has made online fundraising an increasingly common option for families struggling to pay medical bills.
