This Week, we bring you CEO and Founder for Digital Health Access Uganda in our Guide2Uganda Profiles. Get learn more on what DHA is and what they do in the Medical Fraternity. Here is the recent One on One we had recently.

Hello Dear how are you?

Hey! I am fine.

 

Tell us your names and about Digital Health Access

I am Hilda Asiimwe CEO/FOUNDER Digital health access (DHA). Digital Health Access is a medium that connects health professionals with users via an app.  We are Africa’s most accessible, efficient and affordable global healthcare information provider. Our rapidly growing market and clients can interact, communicate and consult using our app with any listed local and global affiliated health care providers, health care facilities, legal advisers and any social services providers. All these services are rendered at a very small affordable fee, which is less than they would pay if they physically visited their health providers. Using the DHA-app or on our website, the providers in turn can chats offer consultation instantly in no time to our clients.

 

What inspired you to come up with such an idea?

Every second and last Thursday of the month I spend 6 hours at hospital just to have a continuous review for my diabetic mum. This has happened month to month for the last five years. And that’s when it hit me, I said to myself , what if i created a system that can help not only me but all other patients that can get these reviews ask, those simple questions, online but to the same doctors they usually see? Ans that was the genesis of DHA. With DHA you consult specialists online, discuss your past medical history, submit your tests and make an appointment to see the contacted specialist.

One can discuss multiple symptoms or conditions during a single consultation without needing to pay additional fees; tests can also be ordered by our specialists and the existing ones can also be discussed.

However, I have always been an entrepreneur, given my description on question no. 1. I earned my first dollar when I was 10 years. I remember I asked my mum to give me a piece of land to cultivate some Irish potatoes. And then I asked my friend to come dig for me and I would help them do their math home work (I was really good at it.) all the 5 came and then in 3 months I made my 1.5m UGX( 500 USD by then). Since then the entrepreneur spirit was born.  I have founded a few other companies like jobzmart.net, hummerston minerals LTD, Reeda tours, Reeda farm and Reeda estates.

 

How has the Android App helped Uganda’s Patients?

Yes of course, a few Ugandans have downloaded the app and are using to book appointments and also chat with doctors online. The moving from hospital to hospital asking if they have this specialist or have this service is no more. People interact with the hospiat/facility at the homes or offices before they go to the hospitals. We are currently serving over 20,000 people and having 200 to 300 consultations a day.

 

How many Subscribers do you have. 

We are currently serving over 20,000 people all over Africa with 200 to 300 consultations a day and a few from India. We have 145 consultants/doctors and 38 affiliated institutions (hospitals, clinics, pharmacies).

 

What are some of the health products incorporated on the App. 

• E-pharm. Most of our sales are generated from our e-pharm, where pharmacies register an account and sell their medicine online on our platform. This is an e-prescription feature that is only accessed by doctors. With this feature doctors can prescribe for ongoing patients (note: only on-going patients). For example refills diabetic patients and other chronic diseases for management sake. With the e-pharm all pharmaceutical companies will be integrated and accept prescriptions from Doctors and can directly upload their stock for all our global doctors to access.
• E-lab. This is one of the Features that can be used by doctors to request lab requests for their patient even when they are not necessary in the hospital premises. Once a doctor already has direct contact with his patients he can request lab tests at laboratory which can be taken as the doctor comes which means both the doctor and the patient can save time. E-Lab enlist Laboratory services from which doctors can recommend a test as well as individuals booking an appointment to carry out their own laboratory investigations for other purposes.
• A live desk is rolled out to every hospital that signs up with us. This feature enables the hospital to directly chat with people online through our platform. People will be able to directly chat with the receptionist just from our platform/app. This will enable clients make inquiries from the live desk before they book an appointment to visit the.
• Telemedicine/teleconsultations/telehealth.

Digital Health Access is a health platform that offers one access to medical, legal and counselling consultations. The medical professions on the DHA platform provides detailed consultations with the patients and this will involve patients submitting previous and current tests by scanning them on the app. However the doctor can restrain from giving prescriptions and advices that need further clinical examinations according to his/her preference. With our platform people, people all the world can consult our registered and handpicked consultants every minute of the day. We have presence in India, Ghana, South Africa, and USA. Our interactive, relationship-based approach informs, educates and empowers our users.

 

What’s the average response for emergencies if one utilised the App to communicate for Urgent need.

Our consultants respond within 5 minutes to 2 hours, however we tend to monitor our system 24/7 for every activity that happens then we follow up on the hospital or doctor contacted. One can still see if the consultant is online or not since the put there schedule online.

 

What should we expect of the innovation 5 years from now.

With our app, we have seen that we can provide universal service which is affordable to majority hence reducing on high charges, wastage of time and resources every time someone falls sick they have to face that. We are to reduce the time spent in hospital waiting rooms. Research shows 95 minutes to even up to 5 hours are spent for every patient waiting before one sees a doctor in Uganda. With a phone as an enabler, we are solving how healthcare is being administered in Uganda and Africa at large.  Now more and more health professionals can be found on our platform ready to administer. With 62% of Uganda’s hospitals being in the centre of the country, we are trying to see how our technology can also go serve the other areas of Uganda where health outreach is not so easy to be found. With paperless technology at hand, we are also safely securing accurate data that can be retrieved for reference anytime by the user. The users get proper healthcare that is affordable as when they consult they only pay 1 USD. With our app, any specialized health consultants can be sourced from anywhere, anytime without the need for pre-arranged visits that can take days or weeks to be concluded. We are looking to be the most reliable healthcare information link by availing this information.

 

How many available Doctors do you have on the App.

Currently we have 145 doctors.

 

What’s the average requirements for one to access the App

One must have a Smart phone or access to internet to access our website.

 

What are some of the Challenges you face as DHA with regards to the App

• Technology adaptability is very low in Uganda, people take long to understand the technology rooled out by DHA hence becoming expensive to educate.
• Mindset change. Ugandans perceive that they need to go to the hospital only when they are sick, yet our services can be used when sick or preventative measures.
• Lack of financial security which has led to us not rolling out as planned in terms of marketing to users, getting adequate personnel for work at hand, purchasing digital enhanced products like server space, customized web tools for our system.
• Poor understanding of our role with health organizations as many still perceive us as a non-essential system as they deem what they currently use as adequate enough for their services.
• Low user penetration among users who are yet to grasp the aspects of having a health information platform where they can carry out consultations with medical practitioners.

 

What arrangements do you have for people that can’t afford using the App foristance most rural people can’t operate or afford a smartphone, do you have anything for them to help them access DHA services.

For now we don’t have and are not our target customer as of now.

 

Do you also offer insurance covers on the App.

As of now,we don’t , however we are in conversation with prudential and jubilee Insurance to roll out insurance to our clients and also policy holders to use our services.

 

Where are you located both in Kampala and up countries.

We are currently located at ESAMI Centre building plot 52, Bombo road.