Vula Medical has been recognised as a Good Practice by the Health Systems Trust.

The Health Systems Trust (HST), South Africa's leading independent health systems non-profit, published Vula in its Good Practices Repository as a model for strengthening healthcare communication in low-resource settings.

This recognition matters. HST's repository is the benchmark used by policymakers, researchers, and implementers across South Africa and the continent to identify what works in health systems reform. To be listed is to be peer-reviewed by the people shaping the future of healthcare delivery.

📄 The article: "Vula App: A Digital Referral and Communication Platform Strengthening Health Systems in Low-Resource Settings"

What HST identified as best practice:

• Real-time specialist guidance that prevents unnecessary transfers 

• Structured, patient referrals that replace lost phone calls and faxes 

• Secure, POPIA-compliant exchange of clinical images and test results 

• A bridge between public and private care 

• Proven impact on hospital transport costs and patient outcomes

And from the clinicians themselves:

"Vula has become synonymous with the word referral. Very few companies can say they've become a verb."

"I've been using Vula for seven years. It's a game-changer."

"Vula helps us decide which patients need to come acutely, which can go to outpatients, and which don't need to come in at all. That has saved massive resources." - Specialist

"It's logged. There's accountability. We can manage patients far better." - Referring doctor

As South Africa going forward, the need for evidence-based, scalable tools that deliver equitable care has never been greater. HST's recognition is more than a milestone, it's confirmation that digital referrals are no longer experimental. They are health system infrastructure.

Huge thanks to the Health Systems Trust for this recognition, and to every clinician who has made Vula what it is today.