Health Tech Startups in Western Africa: The Success Story
Richmond Setrana
Posted On February 15, 2022
Health tech startups refer to businesses that develop technology to improve several aspects of the healthcare system. Technology has become a huge part of human life and it is having a huge impact on certain sectors of the economy, one of which is the health care industry.
In the past decade, Africa has been moving in a fast-paced technology environment where almost all industries are being replaced or will soon be replaced with technology. As most people like to say, we are in the technology age and we are glad to see changes.
The health tech startups have recorded immense success in the last eight years. A report by Techpoint Africa showed that Nigeria’s health tech startups experienced a boost in funding activities, second only to financial services. These health tech startups raised about $32.5 million across seven deals. The adoption of technology by healthcare startups has had only positive impacts, some of which include;
- Easier purchase of drugs from online platforms.
- Provision of health insurance at your fingertips.
- Telemedicine
- Medical consultation from the comfort of your home.
All these advancements have outrivaled the traditional healthcare system. They have made life easier for people and reduced the risk of people contracting germs found in hospitals.
Although the health tech startups have a long way to go, here is a list of eight health tech startups that are making waves in the industry.
Waspito was released in April 2020. It is a revolutionizing health tech startup founded in Cameroon. It is a telehealth app that brings both the users and doctors together. Its services range from telemedicine, drug delivery, and consultation.
Waspito aims to use the application to provide loyal Africans with affordable and accessible quality healthcare services. Waspito got about 30,000 sign-ups despite its lack of advertisement, and it has also been able to successfully draw the attention of several investors like the French mobile operator, Orange.
mPharma was created in 2013 by an outstanding Ghanaian entrepreneur, Gregory Rockson. It is an online pharmacy that is well stocked with several drugs for different health complications. They saw the problems faced by most Africans when it comes to purchasing imported drugs. Through their platform, they have found a way to reduce the purchase of drugs of their users.
According to their website, their innovations have helped over 40,000 patients to make savings on expensive medicines.
This innovative tech is available in six African countries. They also have 155 hospital partners, 850 pharmacies and drug stores, and 2 million patients and growing. To add to their remarkable achievements, at the peak of the pandemic, they were able to close a $17 million deal with the British International Investment.
54gene is a top-of-the-line health technology startup that discovers drugs, diagnose molecules and conduct clinical trial programs. The goal of 54gene is to unlock scientific discoveries as well as improve diagnostics and treatment outcomes within the African community.
It was founded in 2019 by Dr Abasi Ene-Obong. The company is located in Lagos, Nigeria, and Washington DC, USA.
Lifebank was launched in 2016 by Temie Giwa Tubosun. Lifebank is a medical delivery service that transports medical supplies like blood, oxygen, and medical samples that are rare to find across Africa. The main mission of life bank is to make sure blood is available when needed.
This award-winning health tech startup is available in only two African countries at the moment. They have moved over 25,000 products and have saved over 10,000 lives. Lifebank has won several reputable awards and funds. The startup has appeared on global news media like CNN, Google, Bloomberg, etc. Lifebank is, no doubt, making waves in the health tech industry.
Healthlane is a teleconsultation platform that was established in Nigeria in 2020. The app provides appointments and booking for patients. It has interactive tools that help patients manage their lifestyles and give tips on how to achieve their health and fitness goals.
The app offers services such as; body analysis, heart health, diabetics check, kidney check, and liver check. Healthlane is fast and accessible. Some of its tops investors are CRE Africa, Y Combinator, and Musha investors.
Rema Medical Technology is an innovative startup that is created for medical practitioners to exchange their knowledge and feedback with each other. The app contains thousands of medical studies and research papers.
It prides itself as the number one medical community in Africa with over 10,000 plus verified doctors, available in 20 plus countries. It is also 100 per cent secured. They have been featured on several media outlets like BBC Africa.
Safermom is a revolutionary health tech startup that was built to help mothers on their journey through pregnancy and early baby care. It was founded in 2014, in Lagos, Nigeria.
It provides nursing mothers and pregnant moms with important health information through SMS in the three top languages in Nigeria, which are Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo.
This special feature makes it very helpful for mothers who don’t have access to good maternity healthcare and it also breaks the barrier of the language challenge.
Helium Health is a cutting-edge technology that transforms and improves how records are kept and managed in hospitals. Helium health services range from electronic medical records management, telemedicine, financial management, and administration.
This health tech is trusted by more than 300 providers, it is used by 5,000 health professionals and it manages over 165,000 patients monthly. It is located in Lagos, Nigeria, and in 2020 the CEO Adegoke Olubusi raised a $10 million Series A round.
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Written by: Esohe Braimah
Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.
