Why Nigerians Should Embrace HealthTech, Just Like They Did Telcos And Fintech
A List Of Startups Paving the Way for Accessible and Innovative Healthcare In Nigeria
Telcos and Fintech companies in Africa, particularly in Nigeria, recognized the vast potential within the abundant human capital on the continent. They strategically focused on leveraging this valuable resource, building their distribution networks around people. This approach not only allowed them to establish a widespread presence but also generated revenue that, in turn, enabled the development of robust technological infrastructure.
Drawing inspiration from the successful models of Telcos and Fintech, the Health Sector in Nigeria should adopt a similar strategy. By centering technological advancements around the needs and preferences of the people, HealthTech initiatives can gain widespread acceptance. This approach aims to encourage the population to actively embrace HealthTech solutions, creating a sustainable revenue stream. In the long term, the generated revenue can be channeled back to the health sector, contributing to the enhancement of healthcare infrastructure and services. This innovative approach not only aligns with the realities of the African context but also holds the potential to significantly improve the overall health landscape in Nigeria.
In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived In many parts of Africa, including Nigeria, it brought about a growing interest in leveraging technology to improve healthcare services, due to the stay-at-home orders. Various initiatives and innovations have since been introduced to enhance medical services, patient care, and overall efficiency in the health sector.
Now let’s talk about some of the ways in which technology has been applied in healthcare.
Telemedicine:
A lot of you probably follow Aproko Doctor and enjoy what he does right. What Aproko Doctor does is use telecommunication and information technology to provide clinical healthcare at a distance. This can be particularly beneficial in regions with limited access to medical facilities. Dr Chinonso Egemba (That’s his real name) provides relatable medical advice and hands-on solutions for everyday healthcare promotion. The Aproko Doctor brand combines years of medical experience leveraging social media for health education.
In Nigeria, telemedicine startups are changing healthcare by making it easy and affordable to get medical help. These startups offer virtual doctor visits, deliver prescription drugs to your home, and provide online medical advice. They also connect you with specialists, offer mental health consultations, and monitor people with chronic conditions. You can access top-notch healthcare from home using your phone or computer. Whether you need urgent advice, a prescription, or a specialist, Nigerian telemedicine startups have you sorted.
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If you are curious, here are a range of telemedicine startups revolutionizing healthcare accessibility.
Mobihealth International provides affordable healthcare through its app, offering services like virtual consultations and mobile clinics. iWello focuses on making healthcare available to all income levels, providing surgery funding and consultations for as little as $1.
CribMD allows house calls and telemedicine consultations through subscription plans, while Tremendoc offers a comprehensive virtual healthcare experience with audio and video calls, surgery funding, and pharmacy services.
DRO Health allows virtual consultations with various practitioners, using a marketplace model for appointments. HealthConnect247 offers 24/7 healthcare access with monitoring features, while Clafiya provides online consultations and in-person visits.
Doctor247 focuses on lifestyle and wellness consultations, and JEAY Healthcare offers telemedicine solutions for primary care, mental health, and reproductive health.
These startups showcase the transformative potential of telemedicine in advancing healthcare services in Nigeria.
In addition to affordable consultations, many of these platforms offer services like surgery funding, pharmacy deliveries, and health monitoring, making healthcare more accessible to diverse populations. As these telemedicine startups continue to evolve and leverage technology, they hold the promise of significantly improving healthcare and positively impacting the lives of millions of Nigerians.
Health Information Systems:
I personally love this one and I encourage Nigerians to embrace this. You know how it’s easy for you to save all those multiple passwords of yours for various social media platforms and pages on google or cloud so that you don’t have to start inputting them every time you want to login? Well, EHR works just like that.
An EHR or electronic health record is a digital record of health information. It contains all the information you’d find in a paper chart — and a lot more. An EHR may include past medical history, vital signs, progress notes, diagnoses, medications, immunization dates, allergies, lab data and imaging reports. It can also contain other relevant information, such as insurance information, demographic data, and even data imported from personal wellness devices.
HealthTech, like Electronic Health Records (EHRs), is a big help for Nigerians’ health. These systems make it easy for doctors to quickly check a person’s medical history, helping them make good decisions for treatment. This means healthcare becomes better organized and more efficient, with fewer mistakes.
HealthTech also lets people be more in control of their health. With EHRs, individuals can see their own medical info, like test results and treatment plans. This makes them more involved in decisions about their health. HealthTech doesn’t just work in hospitals; it helps people in faraway areas get medical advice through phones or computers. This is super important, especially where there aren’t many hospitals around.
These technologies not only make healthcare better for individuals but also help the whole country. They help the government keep an eye on health trends, making it easier to respond to health issues. Plus, they support medical research, helping scientists find new treatments. So, HealthTech is not just about computers and data – it’s about making healthcare better and easier for everyone in Nigeria.
In Nigeria, there are cool companies working on making health records better. Helium Health makes special software for hospitals to keep track of patients’ health info. Plateaumed and Medipal Healthcare also use smart technology to help hospitals manage things better. Then, there’s PreDiagn, which makes it easy for people to get lab tests when they need them.
Another company called eHealth4everyone has this cool thing called SmartaCare. It’s like a digital book for medical records, making healthcare work smoother. MyMedicalBank Ltd is changing how people access healthcare with digital solutions, and Dash Ambulance® Emergency Services is like a superhero ambulance you can call for emergencies.
Onye is a tech company making tools to help both patients and doctors. And there’s 1SPACE LTD, which gives you virtual access to healthcare whenever you need it. Finally, TideRx, Evercare Hospital Lekki, and InStrat GHS also have smart ways to make healthcare better for everyone. These companies are like health superheroes, using tech to make sure everyone gets the care they need in Nigeria.
Mobile Health (mHealth):
A lot of Nigerians use these apps daily and don’t even know they are mHealth apps. Those Health and Fitness apps you have installed on your phones or digital watches help serve the purpose. I’m pretty sure you’ve got at least one- Running, Walking, Blood Pressure Checker or if you are a lady, an app for your menstrual cycle. If you don’t, Visit your Google Play or IOS store right away.
Mobile Health is the use of mobile devices and applications to support healthcare delivery. This can include health monitoring apps, appointment reminders, and health education programs.
Mobile Health, or mHealth, means using our phones and apps to help with our health. It’s like having a little helper in our pocket for staying healthy. For example, there are apps that can remind us when it’s time for a doctor’s appointment or when to take our medicine. These apps are like our personal health assistants, making sure we don’t forget important things.
There are also apps that help us learn about staying healthy. They give us tips on eating well or exercising more. Think of them as friendly guides on our phone, helping us make good choices. In Nigeria, where there might not be a hospital nearby, mHealth is like having a virtual doctor on our phone. We can use apps to monitor our health and even consult with a doctor through our phones. So, embracing mHealth is like having a health buddy with us all the time, making it easier for us to take care of ourselves.
In Nigeria, there are a number of important health apps trying to help people. Omomi is for moms with young kids and has a feature to talk to a doctor. Hudibia lets you connect with doctors, book appointments, and even find ambulances. MyPaddi is for young people, letting them talk about life and health issues anonymously. Mobihealth connects patients to doctors online, though it doesn’t have a free trial. Find-A-Med helps find health centers within Nigeria. These apps are good, and they can be checked out.
E-Learning for Healthcare Professionals:Â
If you are someone who loves to learn online, you’ll understand this. E-Learning for Healthcare Professionals is like going to school on the internet, but for doctors and nurses. They use special websites and tools to learn new things and keep up with the latest medical stuff. Imagine it’s like having a school where you can study and get better at helping people, but you can do it from your computer or phone.
So, healthcare professionals, like doctors and nurses, can use these online classes to stay super smart about new medical tricks and treatments. It’s like having a virtual school for doctors right at their fingertips. This way, they can make sure they know the best ways to take care of us and keep us healthy. E-Learning for Healthcare Professionals is like a high-tech way for doctors and nurses to always be the best at their jobs.
A popular example was during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was estimated that there were 25–40 million smartphone users in Nigeria, hence the use of smartphones for training of frontline health workers (even in remote locations) held great prospects. This was supported by the results of a survey at the time of the pandemic, conducted by InStrat Global Health Solutions, (an indigenous technology company) in 339 health facilities in 10 states (with representative geographic coverage of Nigeria). The survey showed that there was an average of seven health workers per health facility, with an average of seven phones per facility; of which, five were smartphones capable of running applications. Of these 339 facilities, 226 (66%) were rural and 116 (34%) were urban.
Healthcare Analytics:Â
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All the above mentioned technological approach to health care finally makes up the big puzzle of Healthcare Analytics. Each piece is like a class of food and when combined appropriately, becomes a balanced diet.
Healthcare analytics means using data analysis to understand how well patients are doing, how effective treatments are, and how the healthcare system is performing overall. It’s like looking at information to figure out how to make healthcare better for everyone.
Healthcare Analytics is like using super-smart computer tools to understand how well our health system works. Imagine it’s like looking at a big puzzle made of information about patients and treatments. With special computer skills, we can put all the puzzle pieces together and figure out important things.
So, doctors and health experts use these computer tools to see how well treatments work for patients and if the health system is doing a good job. It’s like having a detective for health, finding out what helps us get better faster. This way, hospitals and doctors can make sure they are doing their best to keep everyone healthy. Healthcare Analytics is like having a wizard for health data, helping us make the right choices for our well-being. Whichever of the analysis you get to understand better, the idea is that you understand the importance of healthcare analytics.
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In wrapping up, the way health technology, or HealthTech, is growing in Nigeria looks very promising. Taking lessons from the success of telecommunications and fintech companies, the health sector is learning how to use smart strategies that focus on people. This is making more and more people like and use new and helpful health technologies. Things like online doctor visits (telemedicine), digital health records (EHRs), health apps on phones (mHealth), and online learning for doctors and nurses show that healthcare is becoming easier and better for everyone.
These changes are like a big step forward in making sure everyone can get good healthcare. It’s like a cool wave of new ideas and tools making health services easier to reach and better to use. The future seems really exciting with more and more ways to make sure Nigerians have access to great healthcare through these smart and innovative solutions.
