Old Mutual’s NEXT176 Invests $2 Million In South African Telehealth Provider, Kena Health
Old Mutual’s NEXT176 Invests $2 Million In South African Telehealth Provider, Kena Health. Old Mutual’s subsidiary NEXT176 is investing $2 million (over R36 million) in South African telehealth provider, Kena Health, to address the healthcare needs of under-serviced and underserved communities in South Africa. By opening its distribution channels, Old Mutual will help make this service available to the millions of people it serves.
Kena Health (www.kena.health) is a smartphone app that allows users to talk to a team of nurses, doctors and mental health professionals, as the case may need, via text, voice and video call within the app at an incredibly low price point of only R185.
High healthcare costs lock 84% of South Africans out of most quality private healthcare. As costs continue to rapidly escalate, fewer and fewer people can afford the medical scheme premiums that give them access to day-to-day cover. Furthermore, millions of South Africans who can afford to pay a little out of pocket for healthcare cannot afford to access the exorbitant prices of private sector. This situation afflicts younger and poorer people, who are new to the workforce or are struggling to find work, disproportionately. Unfortunately, this means that the country’s already overburdened and underfunded public healthcare facilities are being put under additional strain. As documented recently in the press, the situation in public sector is only getting worse. The consequence is that the South Africa’s health outcomes are poor in comparison to its peers. Kena Health seeks to address this problem by delivering basic physical and mental healthcare services that combine teams of different types of healthcare workers with proprietary technology. The way the clinical team works together, aided by sophisticated software, serves to lower the cost to the consumer.
Through the app, for R185 per consultation, any user with a smartphone is able to access affordable quality healthcare wherever they are. Consultations with a nurse, medical doctor, or mental health professional from Kena Health’s carefully vetted and curated multidisciplinary team can be performed via video call, voice call, or text, making the service accessible even to patients with limited data. Sick notes, referral letters, and prescriptions are sent directly to the patient’s phone. What particularly impressed NEXT176 was the slick user experience. Kena’s straightforward, step-by-step approach makes for a seamless user journey. Patients can receive the care they require within minutes. Flexible operating hours mean patients can receive care outside of traditional office hours where required.
NEXT176 acknowledges that unequal access to healthcare is a major concern in South Africa and is committed to addressing this issue. The company was established to make a positive impact in people’s lives through six key focus areas. The first focuses on delivering fit-for- purpose financial services through adjacent ecosystems such as healthcare. Old Mutual has recognised that maintaining the status quo will not lead to significant improvements in the lives of South Africans. Rather, the solution lies in adopting technology and seeking innovative approaches to address longstanding issues.
By Thomas Chiothamisi
