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What we treat
Everyday illness that turns into a crisis when you cannot pay for it. This is not exotic medicine. It is the unglamorous care that quietly decides whether somebody works next week.
The conditions we see, ranked by how often they come up
- Malaria, by a very long way the most common
- Fevers of other causes
- Typhoid
- Ulcers and stomach trouble
- Chest pain
- Coughs and chest infections
- High blood pressure
- Arthritis
- Eye problems
- Pneumonia
- Skin conditions
- Diabetes
- Wounds
- The occasional fracture
What a treatment actually consists of
Consultations, diagnostic tests, tablets, injections, syrups and dressings. A typical case is somebody who has had a fever for several days, is diagnosed with malaria, is given the tests to confirm it and the medication to treat it, and goes home.
It is worth being clear about how ordinary this is, because the ordinariness is the point. Malaria is treatable. It has been treatable for a very long time. People still die of it, in large numbers, primarily because of what the treatment costs relative to what they earn.
What we do not cover
We do not fund major surgery, and we do not fund long-term specialist care such as ongoing oncology or dialysis. This is a deliberate limit rather than an oversight.
Our model works because a treatment costs a few pounds and can be settled quickly and completely. A single complex surgical case could consume the equivalent of hundreds of malaria treatments, and would commit us to follow-up care we are not structured to guarantee. We would rather treat many people completely than a few people partially.
Where somebody needs care beyond what we cover, our team on the ground helps direct them towards appropriate services. We do not simply turn them away at the stand.
Who decides
Clinical decisions are made by the qualified doctors and nurses at our partner facilities, not by DOGO and not by donors. We are the payer, not the physician. Our role begins when the bill is written.
Read next: what these treatments cost.
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Set up a £5 monthly donation and we will show you exactly who it treated. In Nigeria, £5 covers one person's entire treatment, usually with change.
Three ways to give, all working right now:
- Donate on WhatsApp. The quickest route. Message us and we will set it up inside the chat. No app to install, no forms, no password.
- Dogo Health on the App Store, or on Google Play. Set your amount once and you are matched with a new person automatically each month.
Monthly from £5, one-off from £10. Cancel any time from the app. Questions first? Write to info@dogoapp.org.