According to the World Health Organization article on treating cancer, detectingsymptomatic patients as early as possible gives them the best chance of success. The piece is a template for cancer treatment, but it doesn't apply to all diseases.
Doctors and physicians can't offer treatment if diagnostics isn't there. In emerging markets like Africa, where infrastructure is lacking and the doctor-to-patient ratio stands at a staggering 1:5,000, regular checkups are not considered an important part of health care.
The Lagos-based healthtech seeks to change this narrative and drum home the proverb "prevention is better than cure" with its at- home lab testing platform. The company was founded by Ifeoluwa Dare- Johnson and Victor Amusan. The news came five months after it participated in the Techstars Toronto program.
She started Healthtracka after working in the healthcare space. She worked at a diagnostic center. It wasn't a love for her work that pushed the chief executive to tackle this problem, it was a firsthand experience of the issues late or no diagnostics can cause
I knew how important diagnostics were when I was a scientist. The founder and CEO said in an interview that he began to look into the space after his father died. The healthcare infrastructure in Africa is not good. You would think that people would be more aware of their health. That isn't the case.
She said her father had undetected health issues relating to diabetes and hypertension for a long time. While millions of Africans are guilty of personal health miscalculations, other factors contribute to irregular checkup such as waiting times and slow doctor consultations.
Telemedicine usage in Africa has gone up since the Pandemic as it addresses some of the challenges that discourage patients from making regular doctor's appointments. There are gaps in what can be covered by Telemedicine. 70% of all clinical decisions are made after patients visit hospitals for lab tests. There is an issue of convenience when patients don't want to go to a lab.
She wondered how we could get healthcare to that level where you can be at home and access it easily. That could be a game-changing change to how healthcare is delivered in Africa. There was a need to think about how to solve these operational challenges, build the logistics, technology, and infrastructure to support the idea of at- home lab testing.
More African startups get into Techstars Toronto
Individuals can book their lab tests online, have their samples collected at home, and get their results via email within 48 hours. The tests include fertility and STD tests.
The healthtech focuses on preventative care and partners with lab centers to diagnose. One of the lab centers that is meeting the standard ISO laboratory accreditation is one that the team created a quality checklist to vet.
For further consultation, Healthtracka works with doctors and specialists. Customers pay more for Healthtracka to connect them with specialists if the diagnosis is worrying.
The CEO said that there are indicators that show you need to pay attention to some of your markers, which our internal doctors cater to. We will refer you to a specialist if they feel you need one.
Since its launch, Healthtracka's network of phlebotomists has doubled in size. The company has delivered thousands of tests at home. Its revenue is growing at a rapid rate.
Three approaches are being taken by the company to pursue more growth. Retail customers will be the first to get subscription plans. The second is betting on its B2B play, offering the ability to make home blood tests for patients. Before the end of the year, the healthtech company is looking to expand its presence to other African countries.
We have moved from being B2C to an infrastructure play. The chief executive said that they wanted to power digital diagnostics and empower healthcare providers. It will ensure that healthcare is better in Africa.
The founder and CEO of Healthtracka is Ifeoluwa Dare- Johnson.
Healthtracka will use the funding to scale its B2B2C offering where partner companies in Nigeria can deliver at- home testing to their employees.
The investors in this round include two U.S. based venture funds. Alumni Angels Alliance was an angel investor.
He is hungry and bright. "Not only did we use HealthTracka's services in diligence and have a 10/10 experience, we realized what this could become across the continent, even from just interacting with her team for tests." The door for a healthier Africa is unlocked by the product.
Less than $2 million was raised by female health tech entrepreneurs. One of the few healthtech startup with indigenous female CEOs to have raised over $1 million in a single round is Healthtracka.
A common theme among some of Healthtracka's investors is that they are female led. The fact that women investors are walking the talk and improving access to capital for women entrepreneurs is a testament to this.
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