Meet Dr. Jenny Bouraima, the compassionate force behind Urban Care Healthcenter in Zanzibar. With a background in medicine from Germany and a master’s degree from Scotland, Dr. Bouraima’s journey began with a desire to make a meaningful impact in healthcare. Her dedication to providing quality services regardless of socioeconomic backgrounds has driven Urban Care’s mission, fostering collaborations with the public sector and ensuring every patient receives dignified care. Despite challenges like financial constraints and setbacks, Dr. Bouraima’s leadership has steered Urban Care to success, impacting countless lives and inspiring healthcare entrepreneurs worldwide.
Can you share with us your personal journey that led you to establish Urban Care Healthcenter?
I am a medical doctor trained in Germany and with a postgraduate masters degree from Edinburgh, Scotland. In my final years of study I came to Zanzibar for the first time, to volunteer in a local hospital. It was a very formative experience which gave me a lot of valuable insight into the realities of the health service delivery in Zanzibar, the gaps and challenges, but also opportunities. I knew that I wanted to work as a doctor in a meaningful way. I knew that I wanted to give back to society and since health and access to health services should be a basic human right, I knew that I could do my small part to contribute to shaping the health landscape here, setting an example, incorporate my “western” training when it comes to service delivery solutions that work in the Zanzibar setting.
What inspired you to focus on making quality healthcare accessible to everyone, regardless of their socioeconomic background?
I believe that everyone has the right to access dignified, empathetic and quality healthcare services. Unfortunately the current system in Zanzibar can create a gap between people of lower socio-economic background and the financially affluent. Private healthcare in Zanzibar is often only accessible for the ones that can afford it, leaving the public health system many times overwhelmed. At Urban Care, we have been in close collaboration with the public sector from the beginning. Our efforts to reach all our patients are not limited to the ones that give us the highest profit and our efforts to reach patients with limited financial means is not confined to only specific days, as a CSR initiative. It is part of our company’s DNA. Through our Public-Private-Partnership with the Ministry of Health Zanzibar we are able to provide basic health services, medications and tests to all our patients – services to underserved communities are thereby cross-financed within our center through service provision to out-of-pocket payors or insured patients.
What were some of the biggest challenges or struggles you faced while starting and growing Urban Care Healthcenter?
Urban Care is a bootstrapped company. There has not been a major investor backing our operations until now. That means, our biggest struggle, while remaining true to our principles, has been the financial management, especially in the beginning. With the growth of our company and our services as well as with the growing interconnectivity with and mutual trust from our local partners, we could see substantial consolidation that has allowed us to increase our scope of service, to all our patients. Another struggle that we faced was the growth from a small practice with only 1 doctor, me, to a center that has multiple doctors and me as the director. Patients got used to seeing me and trusted me and it took some time to transition.
Can you tell us about a particularly difficult moment or setback you experienced, and how you overcame it?
The most difficult moment in the history of Urban Care was during COVID, when our clinic services were suspended for 1 month due to the unethical business practices of a partner, that was working under our umbrella. The issue could have been resolved relatively quickly and we took measures to prove and reinstate our good standing. But this incident has taught me the importance of due diligence and careful selection business associates.
What are some key lessons you’ve learned along the way as a healthcare entrepreneur?
I am still learning and would argue that you should never stop learning and evolving as an entrepreneur and leader. The most important lesson I have learned is to delegate and trust my team – a leader is nothing without their team. Giving team members authority and empowering them to grow beyond their current comfort zone has been a great and often positively surprising experience for me.
How do you maintain your motivation and passion for providing accessible healthcare, especially during challenging times?
It is the patients we see at the moment and the success stories that we had in the past that motivate and keep me going. It is also refreshing to see successful examples from other parts of the world, draw on their experiences and find inspiration for our context. The dialogue with our partners, that share the same goal as us, also helps through challenging times, as it reminds me that we are not alone and there are plenty of likeminded people out there.
Can you share a story of a patient whose life was positively impacted by the services offered at Urban Care Healthcenter?
There are so many stories, but one that is sort of representative for our work within our community, is a diabetic patient, that came to us with uncontrolled high blood sugar (the values were out of the glucometer’s measuring range, it just read “HIGH”) and a diabetic foot ulcer (the ulcer was between his first and second toe, down to his bone; the first picture shows the toe on the 4th visit, after multiple cleanings). He had lost all hope of treatment, knowing that one of his friends who had a similar problem, just had his foot amputated. Regular visits with us, trainings in hygienic foot care, regular special dressings, regulation of blood sugar and training of the patient and his relatives in managing the blood sugar levels were started. 11 months later, the foot looked as in the second picture, the patient’s blood sugar levels remain controlled, no amputation was needed.
What advice would you give to other aspiring entrepreneurs who are looking to make a difference in the healthcare industry?
You have to be aware that you are wearing 2 hats as a healthcare entrepreneur: you run a business that should be profitable at some point, on the other hand you have a social responsibility, that somehow needs to be reflected in your business venture, in my opinion. You should regularly take time to take a step back and evaluate: am I still aligned with my values? Am I doing what I can to fulfill my responsibility?
How do you see Urban Care Healthcenter evolving in the future, and what are your goals for its continued growth and impact?
Urban Care is located in Fumba Town (https://fumba.town), an evolving new town development on Zanzibar. With the growth of the town, Urban Care also grows. My goal for Urban Care is to continue to cater to the needs of the people in our community; that also includes to continue to expand our service offer so that we can provide a broad number of services to our patients. Our quality standards are what people value most with us, so any expansion we are doing needs to keep that same standard we are known for.
Lastly, how can individuals or organizations support your mission and contribute to the success of Urban Care Healthcenter?
Patients, that are coming to Urban Care are directly contributing to our mission and vision. Even if you are not residing in Zanzibar, you can consult with us remotely (https://portal.urbancare.clinic/). Apart from that, we have individuals who donate once-off or regularly. Organizations can collaborate with us for programs aimed at improving health service delivery, when it comes for example to screenings for breast cancer and cervical cancer or other primary care programs. Examples of the past and present are our breast cancer screening and early treatment program, blood pressure and blood sugar screenings, exercise to prevent NCDs.
