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Using Mobile Finance to Reimburse Sexual and Reproductive Health Vouchers in Madagascar

This case study examines a voucher reimbursement program pioneered by Marie Stopes Madagascar (MSM). MSM set up a subsidized voucher program to increase poor people’s access to voluntary family planning services. Instead of traditional payment methods, MSM experimented with reimbursement via mobile phone. The program demonstrated that SMS money transfer systems can successfully reimburse health service providers in remote, rural and urban settings. Furthermore, the program illustrated that in some settings SMS systems can cut down on the time, cost, and possibility of fraud associated with cash reimbursement. The case study includes programmatic lessons to help organizations and program managers to replicate this model of reimbursement.