Why I Co-founded HubCare Health to Democratize Healthcare for all Africans
In 2015, I lost my good friend Wale and his wife
Due to lack of access to health information and affordable quality healthcare services.
Wale had persistent cough for weeks. So, he started treating cough with different cough syrups. After 3 months of persistent coughing he decided to see a doctor at the primary health center. The doctor prescribed antibiotics for Wale to use. Which he did all to no avail. Wale noticed that the wife also started coughing and he was loosing weight. He called me and explained his symptoms. And I adviced him to go for investigation.
His laboratory investigation revealed that he had active tuberculosis and had infected his wife. They both started treatment paying out of pocket and it was a struggle to keep the treatment going, and the home front despite the fact that they both had severe infection, always feeling weak due to TB and the treatment regimen. In March 2015, Wale lost his wife to TB and in November 2015, my cousin called to inform me that Wale had died in Abeokuta at his mum’s place.
It was a difficult period for me because Wale was not just a friend, he was like a brother to me. He was one of the few friends that came during my induction into the medical profession in 2013. And I was one of his few friends that stood by him during his wedding in 2012.
Wale and I in May 2013 when I was inducted into the medical profession
I know if Wale had a tool that can give him better information on what are the possible health conditions he might have apart from cough, get quick access to board qualified doctors and started his treatment right on time. He won’t infect his wife, the TB might not become severe and I might still have both of them with me as my extended family members.
I also know that there are millions of people in Africa who die prematurely because they didn’t have access to timely and quality healthcare services and information. I decided to do something in a systematic way on this big problem in Africa. And this is why we started HubCare to care for all Africans.
With over 600 million Africans lacking access to the healthcare they need in this digital age. HubCare’s aim to make primary healthcare accessible and affordable for all Africans.
Fortunately, I was able to find two other co-founders who has the same passion to improve the healthcare system in Africa, Wayne and Tope and today we have HubCare Health, which is an AI-powered, digital platform that connects holistic primary care directly to patients.
It aims to serve the underserved patient population in Africa. So that no one will die prematurely with a disease that can be treated like my good friend Wale and his wife did.
HubCare mission is to make quality healthcare affordable and accessible for over a billion Africans, especially the underserved population. We believe in empowering our users with most accurate, comprehensive and up-to-date information, enabling them to make informed healthcare decisions.
Our free symptom checker solution is helping our users to take control of their health by giving them personalized information on their health condition.
It helps them to answer three basic questions when they feel sick or are experiencing any symptom.
1. What do I have
2. What else could it be
3. And What are the different ways to treat it.
Also, my cofounders, and I were pertinent about reducing cost of healthcare for all africans without sacrificing quality when it comes to primary healthcare. After months of research we were finally able to find a way we can reduce the cost significantly while improving quality for our users.
We are so proud today that we have over 50 healthcare professionals on our data base, dozens of users and tens of healthcare facilities who have registered on our platform during our initial pilot stage. We will be rolling out our product to all Africans in January 2022 starting from Nigeria with our monthly membership plan. This will be expanded to the rest of Africa in the next 2-5 years. By the way, the first month is free for all. If our new users are satisfied with the level of care they receive they can renew their monthly membership for NGN 1,000 {$2} – (as low as NGN 833 if they do our yearly plan) and tell their friends about us. If not, they don’t have to continue with our services. However, because we are a customer focused, technology driven and data sensitive company, we will deliver on our promises of accessible, simple and reliable healthcare for our consumers.
HubCare digital platform is not just for convenience but a tool for medical excellence and a catalyst for a valuable clinical experience for both patient and clinician.
Our strive is to uphold our core values of HOPE (Honesty, Openness, Passion and Empathy) on this journey.
You can get started on our individual plan and enjoy the following benefits FREE of charge for a month.
• 24/7 access to board-certified clinicians
• Prescriptions as needed
• Free unlimited visits for kids age 3-17.
• Personalized care plans for anxiety and depression
In addition, you can register your employees on our business plan and reduce your expenses on healthcare insurance while enhancing the optimum well-being of your employees with our various healthcare programs and interventions.
Furthermore, you can partner with us as a healthcare professional or healthcare facilities as we change the healthcare landscape in Africa one person at a time. As an individual or corporate entities you can work with us in making healthcare accessible and affordable for all africans.
Together, we can democratize healthcare for everyone in the continent, improve Universal Healthcare Coverage and Achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3, “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages”
Better health, at your fingertips!
Sesan Kareem,
Co-founder/CEO HubCare Health
