Client Background

A Kenyan healthtech startup launched in response to COVID-19 lockdowns, aiming to decongest clinics and ensure uninterrupted access to healthcare. Partnered with 45+ local clinics and pharmacies to democratize telemedicine for underserved urban and rural communities.

The Challenge

72% of Kenyans avoided hospitals during the pandemic due to infection fears. Pharmacies faced stockouts of critical drugs, while patients in remote areas lacked reliable internet for video calls. Manual prescription workflows caused 48-hour delays in medication delivery.

Our Approach

We engineered a hybrid telehealth platform combining USSD accessibility for low-end phones with AI-powered triage, integrating real-time pharmacy inventories and motorcycle delivery networks.

Key Features

• Smart Triage: Symptom checker prioritizes emergencies (e.g., chest pain) to route patients to doctors within 8 minutes.
• Bandwidth-Aware Video: Auto-adjusts call quality (360p to 720p) based on network strength, with audio-only fallback.
• MediMap: Live inventory tracking across 120+ pharmacies, showing exact stock of antiretrovirals, inhalers, etc.
• M-Pesa RxPay: Split prescriptions into installment plans via mobile money, with SMS payment reminders.
• Delivery Dash: GPS-tracked medication dispatch via trusted boda-boda riders, using sealed COVID-safe packaging.

Technical Breakthroughs

• USSD Care Menu: Full consult booking and refill requests without internet via 483 shortcode.
• Generative AI Notes: Doctors dictate Swahili diagnoses; NLP auto-generates English clinical records for regulators.
• Stock Sync: Reverse-API pulls pharmacy inventory every 15 mins using legacy desktop POS systems.
• Fraud Shield: Detected 230+ fake prescription attempts via handwriting analysis of uploaded doctor notes.

Impact

• 97% of users received medications within 4 hours in Nairobi, 12 hours rural.
• Reduced clinic foot traffic by 63% during beta, minimizing COVID exposure.
• 89% adherence rate for chronic meds via AI refill reminders.
• Shortlisted for 2021 UN Digital Public Goods Registry.

Client Testimonial

“HealDoc became our pandemic lifeline. A grandmother in Kakamega video-called a Nairobi cardiologist while her grandson held the phone. That’s the future of African healthcare.”
— HealDoc Lead Clinician

Client Note

Piloting chronic disease management bundles (diabetes/HIV) with free glucose test strips for subscribers.

Technologies Used

Twilio USSD, Agora SDK, TensorFlow Lite, Google Maps Offline API, Safaricom M-Pesa