Digital Health for Africa has seen an immense growth in the past year due to pandemic. There are however still challenges in accessing quality health care in some areas across sub Saharan Africa. For most of these areas, the early detection and treatment of health conditions, easy access to primary healthcare is crucial.
Africa has many of the fastest-growing economies globally and this brings in immense opportunity for investments. There is a real opportunity for digital healthcare platforms to scale and bring new innovations to some parts of Africa. They can reduce the cost of quality care while improving health outcomes, reach patients in remote areas and reduce the pressure on the traditional medical support systems.
Healthforce, a South Africa-based health tech company has joined with two other firms Webrock Ventures and Doktor.se) to form a platform that will bring better Digital Health Services to South Africans and potentially more countries in the future. The new platform has already closed a $3 million pre-Series A round to that end.
Doktor.se is a Sweden-based Telehealth company that allows patients to contact healthcare professionals through their smartphones across the whole spectrum of primary care. Webrock Ventures is a Sweden-based investment company that employs a venture-building model.
This new platform will aim to offer on-demand and scheduled consultations with nurses, general practitioners and mental health professionals. It will also provide chronic care management and will be integrated with Healthforce’s broader primary care offering.
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Saul Kornik, co-founder and CEO at Healthforce, will resume a new role at the newly formed company. According to him, the partnership gives Healthforce an additional product to add to its healthcare product stack. “Webrock and Healthforce partnered to bring funding and strategic/operational capacity to this new pan-African direct-to-patient play, respectively,” he said to TechCrunch. “All existing independent operations will continue. However, under the NewCo, Healthforce as a major shareholder will expand its primary care product stack and Doktor.se will generate revenue off license fees earned.”
“This is a pure-play provider-of-healthcare venture. Through this pan-African venture, we will deliver high-quality healthcare at low cost to 75 million people through telemedicine, literally putting healthcare in the palm of their hands,” he said.
This article previously appeared on TechCrunch
