Zuri is improving access to healthcare in Africa with technology
Zuri is improving access to healthcare in Africa with technology
Abubakar Yusuf's medical condition deteriorated rapidly in the year 2019 for him. The 43-year-old carpenter from Nigeria's Borno State has been suffering from Malaria and is suffering from a deadly combination of symptoms including fever, chills, headache, nausea, and vomiting, among other things.
“I would go to the only public health center in the area, but I just don't think I'll be able to stand the wait. There will almost certainly be 20 or 30 people in front of me, and they will almost certainly attend to those who arrive first. As a result, there is no guarantee that I will be able to see a doctor on time.”
One of Yusuf's closest clients came to his aid after he had been trapped indoors for several days. The client eventually informed Yusuf about a mobile app that can assist him in finding a doctor and obtaining quick access to treatment.
He downloaded the Zuri Health app, scheduled an appointment with one of the doctors listed on the platform for the following day, and received confirmation via text message. Yusuf was instructed to take some initial measures to help alleviate his condition through the app, after which he was seen by a doctor in just 10 minutes, thanks to the convenience of online scheduling. A week later, he was completely recovered.
It is true that Yusuf is a made-up character, but his predicament is as real as Zuri Health is for many people in Africa. He could have easily become one of the more than 400,000 Africans who died from malaria in 2019 if he hadn't discovered the mobile application.
Because of this, Africa bears a disproportionately large share of the global burden of disease deaths: in one year, the continent was responsible for an alarming 94 percent of all malaria cases and deaths worldwide. In the year 2015 alone, approximately 1.6 million Africans died as a result of tuberculosis, malaria, or HIV-related illnesses.
What is even more concerning is the fact that these diseases can be prevented, treated, and even cured with the use of proper medication. In Africa, on the other hand, there is a well-documented lack of access to healthcare.
In Africa, less than half of the population has access to modern health facilities, and the remaining 80 percent rely on chronically underfunded public health services, which are hampered by a lack of everything from drugs to electricity.
Mobile-based healthcare to the rescue
A number of startups have come up with innovative solutions to the critical problem of accessing healthcare in Africa, which is being addressed by technology. One such company is Zuri Health, a relatively new player in the continent's nascent telemedicine (the delivery of health care through the use of digital devices such as mobile phones and computers) space.
Zuri Health is a mobile application that allows patients to chat with a doctor, purchase medication from a pharmacy, schedule lab and diagnostic tests, and even have a doctor come to their home to treat them.
It was only earlier this year that the company launched in Kenya with the goal of providing affordable and accessible healthcare solutions through mobile technology, including dedicated apps, wap, and SMS services.
Zuri Health founder and CEO Ikechukwu Anoke stated in an interview with TechCabal that the company was "very personal to me." “My daughter, Zuri, who was born in 2012, is the inspiration for this application. The fact that we were at one of the best hospitals in Kenya did not prevent us from not having a doctor attend to my wife when she went into labor on time.”
It was because of this incident that Ikechukwu realized that even if an individual could afford medical care, the distribution and logistics of healthcare in the country remained a significant challenge. But it wasn't until eight years later, during the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, that he began working on Zuri after he himself had a life-threatening experience.
Before the pandemic, I was dealing with some personal health issues, which made me even more vulnerable to the virus. The need to think about the provision of healthcare differently in the context of an underlying health problem in a Covid environment was critical, according to Ikechukwu.
Because most hospitals were closed and doctors were unavailable during the peak of the pandemic, telemedicine and remote care, according to him, became extremely important at that point.
The development of an app through which people could perform basic tests without having to leave the comfort of their own homes and risking their lives seemed logical at the time. If we had known sooner, perhaps we would have developed apps and released them during the pandemic's peak period. The knowledge gained from Covid has aided in the development of what we have today.”
Zürich Health introduced a beta version in November 2020, which was then made available to the general public in Nairobi two months later. Since January, Zuri has added more than 250 doctors to its platform, all of whom earn an additional income from the services they provide to their patients.
While receiving necessary medical care, thousands of subscribers who currently use the application benefit from the ability to communicate with a doctor and receive diagnoses over the internet, thereby saving money on transportation and other logistical costs.
According to Ikechukwu, “Zuri Health provides doctors with a larger and more convenient platform to reach patients who need them, while the underserved populace now has access to affordable and sustainable healthcare.”
The company released an updated version of its app, dubbed Zuri 2.0, at the end of July, which includes new and improved features.
Zuri Health has also established partnerships with organizations in a number of African countries, which is expected to pave the way for the company's planned continental growth. Zuri intends to expand into additional markets in the coming months, including Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Zambia, Cote D'Ivoire, Mozambique, Angola, and Senegal, to name a few.
Africa’s e-health industry on the rise
The increasing use of mobile phones and the existence of a thriving tech startup scene provide reason to believe that technology can have a significant impact on improving access to medical care in Africa.
The continent is slowly witnessing a proliferation of healthcare apps, including Hello Doctor in South Africa, ChanjoPlus and M-Tiba in Kenya, GoMedical in the Benin Republic, and mTrac in Uganda, as well as Zuri Health, which launched recently.
There are clear signs of an impending explosion in the use of mobile technologies in African healthcare, similar to the one that has occurred in the financial services industry in recent years. However, there are a number of persistent and significant challenges that must be addressed.
Factors such as prohibitive smartphone costs for Africans, the majority of whom live on less than $1.90 a day, could act as roadblocks to the adoption of digital health technologies in the continent's population. Phone penetration in the region is only 44 percent, which is significantly lower than the global average of 66 percent (see chart).
There is also a significant digital divide between rural and urban areas, with the majority of rural Africa suffering from poor connectivity and low levels of digital literacy among those who live in such areas.
It takes more than technology to improve healthcare
Digital solutions have the potential to have a significant impact on the health sectors in Africa. However, in order for these innovations to scale and have a significant impact across the continent, more than just technology is required.
Apps that aim to make healthcare more widely accessible must be integrated into public healthcare systems and national health strategies, as the number of such apps continues to grow. This is where the government's assistance is required.
In addition to providing funding, public authorities must develop comprehensive telemedicine or mobile health (mHealth) policies that address regulatory and data governance issues, among other things. Government policies will aid in holding digital healthcare companies accountable as well as protecting the information and data of citizens who use the technologies in question.
According to a report published by the World Health Organization, effective policy will become increasingly important as the field of mHealth develops and matures.
“There is an urgent need to promote more meaningful conversations about frameworks for telemedicine in Africa, as there are very few countries that have such frameworks. Although difficult to achieve, it is necessary if we are to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Daisy Isiaho, Zuri Health Co-founder and Chief Product Officer.
While thousands of Africans like Yusuf continue to have their lives saved by mobile health applications, governments will need to “play an active role through regulation and the establishment of legal frameworks in the growing telemedicine space” in order to ensure that this trend continues.
