Missed appointments cost clinics revenue and cost patients their care. A short SMS the day before a visit is one of the cheapest ways to reduce no-shows — and it works on every phone.
Messages that help patients
- Appointment confirmations when a booking is made.
- Reminders 24 hours and again 2 hours before the visit.
- Follow-up and review reminders after treatment.
- Medication and refill reminders for chronic care.
- Immunisation schedules for children.
- “Results ready” notices — never the results themselves.
- Clinic closures and outreach camps.
Example reminder
“Hello Peter, reminder of your appointment at Afya Clinic tomorrow, Tue 8 Oct at 10:30am. Reply 1 to confirm or 2 to reschedule, or call 0700 000 000.”
Letting patients reply requires two-way SMS, which also frees your front desk from confirmation calls.
Keep health information private
Health data is sensitive personal data under Kenya’s Data Protection Act. Keep messages generic: say “your results are ready”, not what they show. Get consent for reminders when patients register, and restrict who can send bulk messages. See our data protection guide.
Add voice for patients who can’t read SMS
For elderly or low-literacy patients, an automated voice call in Swahili or a local language can deliver the same reminder. Learn about IVR and how IVR works for support lines.
Get started with Connect Media
Connect Media provides Bulk SMS, USSD and IVR for Kenyan businesses from one dashboard and API. Create an account to start sending, see pricing, or email info@connectmedia.co.ke.
