Medikea reposted this
Millions lack access to healthcare. Here's a business model that can change that. Meet Elvis Silayo, MD and Peter William Lema, CEO and Chief Medical Officer of Medikea in Tanzania, respectively. Both are medical doctors, both come from small business families - and the combination of medical ethos and business acumen is quite amazing. Across Africa, patients are paying more for worse healthcare - due to hidden costs, inconvenient access, poor continuity of care. The standard solution that I have seen dozens of times is telemedicine. But apps struggle with loyalty (many drop off after the first use), plus many conditions need physical exams, labs, procedures. So Medikea has created a hybrid model: clinics + patient app + cloud-based operating system, all connected to a network of labs that you can send samples to. The model allows them to offer affordable AND good care, and it's working: they have been growing month-on-month for years, and have served more than 45k patients. They have a well thought-out playbook to expand and scale profitably. And they have some of the coolest "guerilla marketing" I have ever seen: insurance companies pay them to run health prevention courses in companies - where they in turn find clients for their services. I don't think I've ever come across a model where other people finance your sales activities. The model works in large cities, which is fine. But what really excites me is that it has the potential to work in isolated areas as well. An (often long and tiresome) trip to a clinic complemented by digital continuity of care and convenient lab tests: that can literally make a life-changing difference to millions. And it can do so in a profitable, sustainable way. And that's the beauty of business in areas of need: no stop-gap aid funding, but a machine that keeps going - and that sustainably and realiably offers care for those who need it most. Thanks Dr. Elvis and Dr. Peter, you inspire me! :-)