Access to quality healthcare is often a necessity many can’t afford, especially vulnerable underserved communities in rural areas. This is why Nigerian doctor, Funmi Adewara launched Mobihealth International in 2020 to revolutionise access and delivery of healthcare in Africa and globally. The UK-based physician and bioscience entrepreneur speaks to AMAKA about working with rural communities and organisations to tackle health inequalities, and her vision for healthcare on the continent.
With one of the weakest health systems in the world, Africa is proving to be a fertile ground for innovative healthcare solutions that has seen the pace of technological advancement accelerate in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic further exposed shortfalls in Africa's healthcare infrastructure that require urgent attention, and fuelled a boom in telehealth as start-ups sought to plug the underfunded, understaffed and ill-equipped services gap.
Dr. Adewara is a prime example. Her company Mobihealth is a fully integrated telehealth platform that uses Artificial Intelligence and internet-powered remote point of care diagnostic tools to connect more than 100,000 medical experts from the UK, US and across the world with patients in Nigeria. The mobile app utilises a secure electronic medical record, providing 24/7 video consultations, remote diagnostic tests including ultrasounds, and prescriptions through low-cost care plans from as little as $10 a year per family. Mobihealth’s premium market targets the diaspora community that can sponsor the healthcare needs of family members, with subscriptions ranging from $5 to $35.
Adewara, one of roughly 2,000 doctors that leave Nigeria yearly, also seeks to tackle the medical exodus in Africa. According to WHO, the continent is home to two percent of the world’s doctors, with Nigeria having just four doctors to every 10,000 persons. UK figures show there were over 2,200 Nigerian physicians working in the NHS as of 2021.
After moving to the UK in 2007, Adewara, who was born in Kaduna State, says she wanted to return home to “give back.” Before the NHS physician earned a master's in Bioscience Enterprise at Cambridge University, she trained at the University of Ibadan and practiced medicine in Nigeria. The 43-year-old mother of two also worked in the energy sector as an executive director at Transnational Energy and Bresson's Alternative before embarking on her entrepreneurial journey.
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AMAKA: Why do you think telehealth is the future of medicine and how are you using innovation to cover the healthcare gap in Nigeria, and how will this be a game-changer for Africa?
Funmi Adewara: I’ve always been passionate about using tech to make a difference given Africa is one of the fastest growing markets in mobile technology adoption. Why should we account for two thirds of global maternal mortality rates when we have nearly half a billion mobile subscribers? Less than five percent of the continent’s population have health insurance, yet we have mobile tech that can help to attain universal health coverage, this is the narrative Mobihealth is working to change.
Telemedicine is an instant solution that can resolve 60 percent of health issues and costs just a fraction of face-to-face visits. Nigeria has one of the worst doctor-patient ratios in the world, so our platform is a necessary mechanism that provides quick, accessible and affordable primary healthcare. We bridge the staff shortage gap, reduce long-distance travel requirements and tackle the issue of counterfeit medication at the click of a button, and help patients better manage their health conditions, reducing the risks of drug abuse. Mobihealth also trains staff to build local capacity due to a need for skills-transfer as many Nigerians and Africans go to the pharmacy before the hospital. We are working to implement patent patient medicine vendors into our portals to treat people for general medical needs and escalate more complex cases. Additionally, we help hospitals and clinics transfer from paper-based records to digital form.
You have over a decade of experience working in the NHS, how has this helped you to start and scale Mobihealth?
Working in the NHS gave me perspective. It was one of the catalysts for launching Mobihealth as I wanted to create a solution that speaks to the African narrative, with an international twist. The need for our services has enabled us to scale. Telehealth was nascent in Africa before COVID-19, it was a silver lining that propelled Mobihealth because demand was high, especially at the peak in 2020. We saw a 500 percent increase in demand and over 1,000 percent rise in revenue from the first to second year due to telemedicine. We revolutionised the way health is delivered as the first company in Nigeria to provide teleguided DIY COVID tests, eliminating the need for PPE and test centres. We currently have nine clinics in six states including Abuja, Benue, Kaduna, Kano, Kogi, and Lagos. We will open 10 more centres in Nigeria soon, with 100s more to come, as well as expand to Rwanda, South Africa, Egypt, Liberia, Kenya and Côte d’Ivoire.
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How can we create better and cost-effective healthcare in communities that don’t have access to technology? And how will this change the everyday health realities of Africans who cannot afford hefty healthcare costs?
Healthcare is a fundamental human right and it’s the government’s responsibility to ensure citizens have access, and we retain our health workforce. We have to leverage tech and harness the global and local medical community. Nigeria has more than 72,000 registered doctors, but more than 30,000 have left for greener pastures. Attaining universal health coverage is possible in Africa, if we have the political will. In the long-term Africa needs more government funding to tackle the lack of cohesive digital policy to safeguard patients and instil confidence. Mobihealth’s mission is to not leave anyone behind. Our smartphone app covers patients who have access. Our teleclinics that travel to rural areas and connect to Mobihealth’s doctor network, as well as a free-line call-in service serve those without smartphones. We collaborate with organisations like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which gave us a $200,000 grant in November 2002, to develop telemedicine to increase primary health service uptake in hard-to-reach areas like Epe, Lagos State, and reduce lack of access to diagnosis and treatment by over 70 percent.
"I want to open doors for the upcoming generation of women innovators and encourage them to develop patient-centric solutions that are representative of our communities"
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How do you navigate being an entrepreneur in a male-dominated industry like the health tech space and what challenges have you faced?
It’s easy to feel intimidated in a male-focussed sector. Most female founders and bosses are not taken seriously and have difficulty raising funds. Investors need to put their money where their mouth is and help women break through as we have valid ideas. Bias is another problem. Some investors are reluctant to invest in African start-ups or African female founders. In my case, having a UK registered company helped massively with investors, because they saw my business as less risky.
You are an award-winning entrepreneur, and have received multiple accolades, including one from the World Bank, how has this reinforced the work you are doing?
I’ve never set out to win awards, but it's humbling to be recognised for my work and it validates our efforts. I want to open doors for the upcoming generation of women innovators and encourage them to develop patient-centric solutions that are representative of our communities.