In South Africa, mobile app Kena Health allows citizens to chat with health professionals remotely. Available on Play Store and App Store, the app helps registered users get advice, diagnoses, prescriptions, sick notes, and even get referred to pathologists and specialists if needed. 

The health tech is developed by Healthforce, a South Africa-based startup whose stated mission is to improve health offers in the country thanks to a network of multidisciplinary health professionals in over 450 hospitals in the country. 

On Kena Health, users chat with Linda, the virtual assistant that collects general information about the patient’s health. After that step, consultations can be booked either offline or online with a nurse to describe the symptoms. If the patient’s condition requires so, the nurse will transfer the call directly to a doctor. Kena's services are available from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. The first three consultations are free of charge and from the fourth onwards, the fee is ZAR160 (about US$11) per session.  

Currently, Healthforce claims over 1.5 million offline and 135,000 virtual medical consultations in the past four years.

“Our goal is to improve access to quality care by lowering cost. (...) By creating an app that focuses on team-based healthcare, we’re able to do this, while actually improving the quality of health outcomes for each patient,” explains Saul Kornik, founder and CEO of Kena Health.

Adoni Conrad Quenum