A combination of demand and supply factors is driving investment into Nigeria’s mobile health services, and indication are that this is the beginning of a long haul that will change the face of health deliver in the country.
To bridge the gap between patients in need of urgent and efficient medical attention in a country with limited number of healthcare professionals, some investors within the health industry are adapting and leveraging solutions that mobile health presents.
Health start-ups in Nigeria have dedication focus in growing this service include Kangpe ,PriveDoc, and Mobidoc , which are focused with medical consultations, for medical devices by MDaaS, blood centre services, Lifebank, clinical reference information and e-learning by Medenhanz, and for pharmaceuticals by Drugstoc – the phenomenal aviation emergency ambulance such as Flying Doctors Nigeria are providing Mhealth solutions in the country.
Lanre Olaitan, chief executive officer of PriveDoc, Limited said that Nigeria’s digital health service would eliminate medical tourism in the country; saying with adoption of mobile health apps patients anywhere can easily consult with a doctor, get diagnosed and receive their legally valid prescriptions in the comfort of their own private space.
“All the doctors and specialists are carefully handpicked nationally and globally to provide the patients with the best medical care regardless of their locations and for an affordable fee as low as N150, patients can interface with doctors, using their android phones to access instant medical care and avoid delays which may worsen the initial ailment,” Olaitan said what Prive Doc does.
It is estimated that about 30,000 Nigerians spend $1 billion annually on medical tourism; experts say with Mhealth which provides cheaper alternative to improve access to high-quality care and reduce waiting times, Nigeria may see reduction in the current cost of its medical tourism.
The mhealth is a medical software that allows patients to consult doctors, nurses or physiotherapists from their smartphones. The app can allow patients to video call or web chat with a physician or specialist from the comfort of their homes.
“Telemedicine will improve access to healthcare, improve service quality and patient demand while cutting costs for all players,” said Francis Faduyile, national president, Nigerian Medical Association.
Faduyile added that the traditional way of delivering healthcare has led to thousands of deaths and serious injuries, noting that the use of technology will give a proper record of patients and reduce the risk of misdiagnosis and wrong medication.
Globally, the number of mHealth apps available in the market has increased substantially. There are now over 318,000 health apps available on the top app stores worldwide, the global mHealth app market is expected to reach $102.35 billion by 2023.
“Britain allocates $200bn per year to the health sector for its 60 million citizens, thereby spending $4000 dollars on each citizen, while Nigeria has $1 billion per year which has to take care of 200 million citizens at $6 per citizenship,” Ola Brown, medical doctor and managing director of Flying Doctors Nigeria.
Brown said it will take years for Nigerians to enjoy high doctor- patients’ ratio again, however advised that the government should leverage on technology to do more with less.
She added that the use of advanced technology will foster quality, easily accessible healthcare at a leaser cost.
Findings also shows that the cost of developing mHealth apps has significantly risen over the last few years .Initially, the typical project size for developing an app (not just for health) ranged from $30,000 – $40,000.
Today, the average total cost for developing an mHealth app (first release) is $425,000, with almost half (47 percent) of total development costs outsourced to, for example, third-party app development agencies.
Additionally, 82 percent of mHealth app publishers are now developing for more than one platform that is both Android and iOS.
However, a lot of mHealth apps can connect a patient with their healthcare provider to improve ease and speed of contact.
Some medical mobile apps also focus more on the user’s daily life, helping them maintain a particular course of treatment or healthy lifestyle.
These types of apps often perform various calculations, provide checklists for proper care, or send out scheduled reminders to maintain a healthy way of living. Many consumer-focused medical mobile apps are affordable or free to use, contributing to their rapid spread among the general population.
ANTHONIA OBOKOH
