BIMA Ghana, a leading provider of mobile delivered health and insurance products in the country, has been adjudged the “leading telemedicine provider” by the West African Clinical Alliance Award (WACAA).
The awards ceremony was held at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra on Friday, August 25, 2018.
[contextly_sidebar id=”0GUuBePO5leRFsra3tBTtvyU9IyHvZm1″]According to the West African Clinical Alliance, BIMA was award for its pioneering work in improving access to quality healthcare through the use of mobile technology within its operational areas.
According to the OECD, there is at most one qualified physician per 10,000 people in Ghana, and the combination of soaring population and rising urbanization is driving higher demand for health care services, particularly as non-communicable disease such as diabetes and hypertension continue to rise.
In Ghana, it is common for patients to travel considerable distances or sacrifice hours waiting in a clinic before seeing a doctor. This, along with the high cost of consultations, often prevent people from seeking medical help.
In this context, telemedicine provides an opportunity to relieve the burden on the hospital system and to provide a safe and confidential way for citizens to obtain medical advice wherever they are in the country.
Launched in 2015, BIMA Doctor is a pioneer of the telemedicine industry in Ghana, and is the first and currently only licensed provider in the country.
It began as a purely medical advisory service, allowing subscribers to access unlimited consultations with licensed medical practitioners over the phone for only GHC 3 monthly.
In the past 3 years, the service has evolved into a full-fledged telemedicine service, offering access to both generalists and specialists, e-prescriptions via SMS as well as a laboratory referral service providing discounts to subscribers.
Recently, it enrolled all customers onto a Health Coaching Programme delivering targeted health content via SMS and recorded voice messages.
Christina Tuemmers, mHealth Division Manager for BIMA Ghana said “We are honored that our contribution to improving access to affordable and quality healthcare has been recognized. The award is a major step in recognizing telemedicine as a standalone heath service”.
Damien Gueroult, Country Manager, said “we believe that the roaring mobile penetration and increasing data usage in Ghana will create a vast opportunity to reach the mass-market who have previously been excluded from health services and in particular preventive care. Just next month we will launch the BIMA Doctor mobile App which will offer additional value-added services to our customers”.
Meanwhile, BIMA Doctor is expected to launch an App in September 2018 to enable subscribers access and manage their medical records, locate the nearest health facility and talk to the BIMA Doctor medical team by phone or chat.
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By: citinewsroom.com/Ghana
