The coronavirus pandemic has transformed the world in many ways as people have been forced to adapt to a new normal because of the restriction in place to contain the spread of the virus. This however is not the case for e-health startups in Africa that have benefitted from this crisis despite the toll the pandemic has had. Businesses and their customers have been forced to embrace digital spaces providing the perfect opportunity for e-health startups in Africa to thrive and making online health care became more relevant.
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According to a report from Disrupt Africa, investment in e-health startups grew by a record-breaking 257.5%, raising more funding in 2020 than all the 5 previous years combined. The surge in numbers can be attributed to the new developments presented by the pandemic which has attracted investors ready to take advantage of the opportunity.
The pandemic has induced new developments in health care with various tech health startups reformatting their former services or launching new ones to fit the current situation. Healthcare centres have also adapted to the new normal relying on new practices like mobile pharmacies and virtual healthcare platforms.
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The most funded e-health startups in Africa of 2020
Vezeeta is an Egypt based that operates in the Middle East and Africa and recently expanded to East Africa in Kenya. It connects patients with healthcare providers and health services. Patients are able to search, compare, book and review the best doctors in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Lebanon. In 2020, it secured $40 million in funding which it will use to support its growth plans that include rolling out the new digital capabilities of online pharmacy and telehealth across its existing footprint and new markets.
mPharma is an e-prescription startup founded in Ghana that improves access to medicine by providing innovative financing to under-served markets and inventory management solutions to hospitals and pharmacies ensuring they are stocked at all times. It secured funding of $17 million in 2020.
54gene is a Nigeria based biotech and genomics startup, which offers genetic testing and molecular diagnostics services to Africans which helps unlock information about their health. Also, the one-year-old utilises human genetic data derived from diverse African populations to improve medical products in the continent according to Tech point Africa. It secured $15 million in funding in 2020.
Helium Health is a Nigerian electronic medical records startup with a system that eliminates paper records in healthcare facilities along with the risks associated with them through a line of automated processes. In 2020, it secured funding of $10 million and currently has the widest reach in West Africa among e-health startups.
After exhibiting such great performance, the question remains whether the services of the e-health startups in Africa will remain relevant in a post covid world.
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