Health is at the heart of all prosperity

Without health, all other advancement is largely irrelevant. Children and young people need to be healthy to learn, realize their potential and thrive later as adults.ÌýWell-functioning, patient-centered health systems are an integral part of fighting poverty and promoting a thriving economy.ÌýHealth inequities lead to avoidable death and disability, especially among the poorest and most marginalized populations. Therefore, contributing to child health is both a moral and economic imperative.

Despite this, half of the world’s population lack access to essential health services.1 Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest child mortality rate in the world, in some places 15 times higher than in high-income countries.2 And wealth can also determine access to healthcare within countries and individual cities.

Let’s look at how we can improve the health and well-being of the most vulnerable children and turn them into adults who will help their societies grow.

A mother kissing a young child

The challenges we face

Bridging distances

Two persons stays on support hands and hills

3.16 billion people cannot reach a healthcare facility by foot within one hour.3

Raising quality

Person climbing the ladder

Quality of care has eclipsed access as a driver of survival, it is the key to addressing persistent maternal and child mortality.4

Building trust

Person watering the plants

Mistrust of the health system and social and gender norms inhibit access to care.

Reducing costs

Bag with charts

Out-of-pocket health spending dragged 344 million people further into extreme poverty.5

A mother in Africa hugs her baby

Taking action

ÃÛ¶¹ÊÓƵ Optimus Foundation has supported organizations working in the primary healthcare space for over a decade. We build on strong partnerships to cultivate a portfolio of grants and investments with high potential for impact at scale.

The health portfolio aims to scale quality primary healthcare that improves the health of the world’s most vulnerable communities, especially children and mothers. Our work is grounded in the belief that quality primary care holds the greatest potential to improve child and maternal health outcomes, achieve better health equity, and provide more holistic care in a cost-effective way. Affordable primary addresses up to 90% of a person’s healthcare needs over their lifetime and an estimated 60 million deaths in low- and middle-income countries can be averted by scaling up access to quality primary healthcare by 20306.

We look for innovative, patient-centered, integrated primary care delivery models that address a wide range of health needs across the continuum of care – with the aim to scale through government institutionalization or monetization of services. Therefore, we deploy our philanthropic capital flexibly using a wide range of investment tools across the impact spectrum.

Sea beyond the blue guide cover

Want to learn more?

Want to learn more about how to have an impact towards better health for all?ÌýDownload the guideÌýPicture of healthÌýto read more about the issues and solutions, and learn from experts and other philanthropists. Inside, you’ll find concrete tips on how to improve our health system, enable the workforce, prevent the next pandemic, conduct sustainable finance solutions and much more.

Our priority areas

Beds in a hospital ward to represent primary healthcare and optimus health

Access to quality primaryÌýhealthcare

Scaling up quality, affordable primary healthcare holds the greatest potential to improve children’s and mother’s health, leading to reduced rates of under-five, neonatal, and maternal mortality. We are focusing on patient-centered care and prioritize integrated and data-driven primary healthcare models that address a wide range of health needs across the continuum of care.

Frozen alpine lake, Sils Maria, Engadine

Mental health

The ÃÛ¶¹ÊÓƵ Optimus foundation is developing a comprehensive social impact strategy for mental health, with plans to launch the foundation initiative by the end of 2024.ÌýIn alignment with ÃÛ¶¹ÊÓƵOF’s thematic priorities – health, education and climate – your philanthropy funds can help address key challenges in global mental health so that young people and their families can thrive in communities where mental health challenges are understood and managed effectively

Health measuring childs

Special initiative: Peadiatric cancer

In collaboration withÌýÃÛ¶¹ÊÓƵ Global Wealth Management ÃÛ¶¹ÊÓƵ Optimus Foundation is a beneficiary of the Oncology Impact FundÌýI and II (OIF). We are supporting a strategic portfolio of programs to sustainably address the biggest barriers to access to diagnosis and treatment in lower-income countries, i.e. lack of peadiatric oncology specialists and cost of treatment.

Ìý

Did you know?

The under-five mortality rate in low-income countries is almost 14 times higher than the average rate in high-income countries. High under-five mortality rates often reflects a combination of failures of the health system, indicating inequity and systemic health challenges. Since a majority of these deaths are preventable, the under-five mortality rate is a perfect proxy for tracking lack of access to critical and fundamental healthcare.

Source:ÌýExemplars in Global Health. (Accessed 2022, January 19) Under-five mortality.

Hourglass calendar icon

September

2025

Our approach

With our health portfolio, our mission is to scale quality primary healthcare that improves the health of the world’s most vulnerable children

Problems

Lack of access to basic quality primary healthcare

1. Low-quality care provided in primary facilities

  • Lack of trained and motivated personnel, essential medicines and supplies, and even electricity andÌýrunning water
  • When patients anticipate receiving low-quality care, they avoid the system altogether
  • Quality of care is difficult to measure due to lack of uniform standards andÌýmetrics

2. Fragmented systems lead to fragmented care

  • Lack of continuity of care further undermines quality of care. Care from multiple providers in various places is often not coordinated, complementary, and responsive to a patient’s changing needs
  • Technology is viewed as an end rather than a means and very few digital health tools are interoperable or being used at scale

3. Inadequate funding for primary health care

  • Limited public spending due to low levels of government revenue generation and failure to prioritize health in government budgets
  • Limited focus on building government capacity to fund and operate PHC
  • Donors tend to finance targeted disease-specific services rather than integrated primary care
  • Limited financing for primary care by VCs or impact investors due to perceived lack of sufficient return

Solutions

1. Patient centricity​

Focusing on patient-centered care and monitoring of patient experience, fostering trust in the healthcare system to improve utilization, treatment adherence, and health outcomes.

2. Integrated care​

Prioritizing integrated and data-driven primary healthcare models that address a wide range of health needs across the continuum of care.

3. Affordability of care​

Supporting the scale up of primary healthcare models that are affordable for the health system and patients and accelerating access to healthcare financing mechanisms for patients.

Outcomes

A doctor caring for a child for optimus health

Primary healthcare holds the greatest potential to improve children’s health

1. Increased affordability of patient-centered care

2. Reduced under-5 mortality​

3. Reduced maternal mortality

Our impact

For over more than ten years our programs have helped increase access to healthcare and improve the quality of health services in communities, clinics, and hospitals. In 2023, our health portfolio includes:

  • 0 million
    individuals reached
  • 0
    countries
  • 0
    health facilities supported
  • 0 million
    USD grant / ​social investments value​

Our programs

SwipeRx, Southeast Asia – Impact Investment

SwipeRx is revolutionizing health care management in Southeast Asia by connecting pharmacy professionals and their pharmacies on a single platform. This social enterprise aims to streamline processes, enhance knowledge and provide access to credit, improving patient care in terms of access and affordability. In Southeast Asia, pharmacies are often the first point of care, visited 10 times more frequently than physicians, due to limited access to licensed doctors. However, challenges, such as inefficient inventory management, poor medicine quality and compromised patient care, persist. SwipeRx addresses these issues with a digital platform that connects and upskills pharmacy professionals and centralizes medication management processes. The platform has built a strong network: one in every three pharmacists in Southeast Asia uses SwipeRx, with more than 80,000 pharmacy professionals participating in its digital courses since 2018. Its efforts have led to better patient safety, reduced health care costs and improved operational efficiency. For instance, while the average wholesaler stock-out rate is approximately 21%, SwipeRx’s rate is as low as 1.5%.

The ÃÛ¶¹ÊÓƵ Optimus Foundation network made its first equity investment in SwipeRx in 2024 during their Series B round, supporting SwipeRx in further building their franchise and becoming the leading community pharmacy offering high-quality medicines at affordable prices across Southeast Asia. In addition to investment, we served on the steering committee to help ensure the business stays aligned with its social mission as it scales.

Karma Healthcare, India – Impact Investment

Karma Healthcare improves health care access in semi-urban and rural India, addressing significant gaps in the effective delivery of reliable and affordable health care facilities. Karma operates e-doctor clinics that provide nurse-assisted online medical consultations, diagnostic services and referrals. The assisted telemedicine model combines the vital human touch (on-site nurses) with digital connectivity (online doctors providing consultations) leveraging smart triaging, queue management and cost efficiency. Patients gain access to general physicians, as well as specialist doctors, in their villages and towns, saving significant resources and time. As 75% of India’s health infrastructure is concentrated in urban regions, Karma’s service is essential for underserved rural populations.

Over the past seven years, Karma has provided quality health care to more than 76,000 people in rural India, with consistently high patient satisfaction. For example, 98% of female patients reported improved health status after using Karma’s services.
Ìý
In 2024, the ÃÛ¶¹ÊÓƵ Optimus Foundation network made its first equity investment in Karma Healthcare. The investment will support expansion of Karma’s impact-first nurse-assisted telemedicine business model in rural India.

Scope Impact, India and Kenya

The Climate and Health Resilience Tool (CHART) project aims to protect health in a changing climate by supporting resilient health systems in India and Kenya. Together with local communities, the project is co-designing a digital climate and health adaptation and resilience tool to help identify and implement maternal, newborn and child health interventions to protect vulnerable populations from climate-related health threats. The project focuses on using localized data and practical solutions to enhance primary health care resilience.

The AI-powered CHART will help scale innovative interventions and identify climate hazards and health risks, creating a platform that can be accessed by sub-national system actors, organizations and communities to support planning, financing and implementation of climate-responsive health programs. Ìý

In 2024, achievements included mapping evidence of extreme climate impacts on mortality, developing preliminary heat impact models on infant mortality and fostering cross-sector collaboration through technical working groups.

Our support has gone beyond grantmaking, by making key ecosystem introductions that expanded Scope’s partnerships aimed at strengthening government engagement.Ìý[\[RA1]|]ÌýWe also supported Scope's participation in an accelerator to build a sustainable business model and long-term scaling strategy for CHART. Our engagement aims to position CHART for integration to our broader health and climate portfolios, while unlocking new pathways for funding and policy traction.

Transform Health Fund, Africa Impact Investment

The Transform Health Fund (THF) is a USDÌý100 million blended finance fund aimed at scaling proven innovative health care models for low-income patients in Africa. The ÃÛ¶¹ÊÓƵ Optimus Foundation network invested USDÌý2.5 million in 2024, alongside Philips, the International Finance Corporation, Swedfund, the US International Development Finance Corporation, Merck & Co., Inc., Grand Challenges Canada (with funding from Global Affairs Canada) and Ceniarth.

THF will invest in primary health care and health care supply chain innovations, focusing on digitally enabled health care solutions Over the course of the nine-year investment period, THF aims to improve access to care for 7.5 million individuals, 80% of which are in the lowest two income quintiles and 50% of whom are women, with an estimated 150,000 lives saved.

doctorSHARE, Indonesia

doctorSHARE aims to bring healthcare to remote island communities in eastern Indonesia, focusing on mothers and children. Its approach involves offering health services via a floating hospital, training community health workers and working with the government to promote mobile healthcare policies.

Since 2009, doctorSHARE has provided medical services to more than 250,000 patients through various innovative programs. With support from the ÃÛ¶¹ÊÓƵ Optimus Foundation, it has provided health services to more than 25,000 people, prioritizing maternal and child health care and enhancing the capabilities of local health workers. This work has gained official recognition and support in many of the regions where it operates. In 2024, the Indonesian government acknowledged doctorSHARE’s model as an innovative solution to improve access to health services in remote Indonesian communities. Meanwhile, the Indonesian Ministry of National Planning referenced doctorSHARE’s floating hospital management experience in the National Medium-Term Development Plan 2024–2029. A year earlier, the Ministry of Health issued regulation number 33, which acknowledged floating hospitals as legal and formal health facilities.

In 2024, doctorSHARE collaborated with the National Health Insurance Agency and the Ministry of Health to offer evidence-based policy suggestions on using health insurance for mobile health services. Looking ahead, they will also develop a blueprint and business model for local governments to integrate mobile health services into communities over the next three years.

Get inspired

Ari Johnson, CEO, Muso

With Muso’s proactive care model, community health workers (CHWs) are the frontline changemakers. CHWs go door-to-door to search for patients and connect them to lifesaving services. Muso designed and built 360º Supervision, to assess and support CHWs from multiple angles: interviews with patients, direct observation, dashboard analytics, group supervision and 1:1 coaching. Detailed cost estimating of 360º Supervision shows that this strategy is scalable at a low cost. Unique to the Muso supervision model are solo visits by the supervisor to patient homes to collect patient feedback on the CHW and verify CHW reporting.

Muso is a ÃÛ¶¹ÊÓƵ Optimus Foundation partner.

Meet Angela from the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra.

We have been working with World Child Cancer and their partner Korle Bu Teaching Hospital’s Centre of Excellence in Ghana to support them in transforming child cancer care. Learn how by spending a few minutes with Augusta Asiedu-Lartey, a Child Life Specialist, as she shares more about her daily work looking after the mental and physical wellbeing of children and their caregivers during treatment there.

World Child Cancer is a ÃÛ¶¹ÊÓƵ Optimus Foundation partner.

Meet our team

Photo of Marissa Lefflerand Cédrine Gisin

Marissa Leffler (right) and Cédrine Gisin (left) lead health investments across the ÃÛ¶¹ÊÓƵ Optimus Foundation ‘capital stack’ including grantmaking, debt and equity, and outcomes-based financing instruments. They set the Foundation’s investment strategy and cultivate a portfolio to contribute towards measurable impact on children’s health. The team also co-leads the Foundation’s EmergencyÌýResponse efforts with the aim of providing immediate relief and supporting longer-term recovery for children affected by humanitarian crises.

Prior to ÃÛ¶¹ÊÓƵ, Marissa spent over 10 years at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), where she most recently served as the Innovation Team Leader in the Global Health Center for Innovation and Impact, a center of excellence established to accelerate the development, introduction, and scale up of priority global health interventions. Marissa also has a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Prior to ÃÛ¶¹ÊÓƵ, Cédrine spent over two years in the life science industry. At Novartis, she most recently worked in Corporate Responsibility Strategy. She graduated from the University of St.Gallen with a Master's degree in Business Innovation. During her studies she conducted research on scaling mobile health innovations in low and middle income countries.

Want to learn more?

Guide

Better health for all

Want to learn more about how to have an impact towards better health for all?ÌýDownload the guide(PDF, 8 MB)Ìýto read more about the issues and solutions, and learn from experts and other philanthropists. Inside, you’ll find concrete tips on how to improve our health system, enable the workforce, prevent the next pandemic, conduct sustainable finance solutions and much more.

Article

Closing the pediatric cancer survival gap

Happy mother and child in a child cancer hospital

A conversation with World Child Cancer
When an organization such as World Child Cancer receives support, it initiates a chain that touches numerous lives, potentially for generations. Learn more in this article.

1 McNeill, K., Jacobs, C. (2019). World Economic Forum.
2 World Health Organization (2020). . Last consulted: July 22, 2024
3 Weiss, D. J., et al. (2020). . Nature Medicine, 26(12), 1835–1838
4 Last consulted: July 23, 2024.
5 World Health Organization. . Last consulted: July 23, 2024.
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