Helium Health, a West African supplier of electronic medical records (EMR) and hospital management information (HMI) systems, has launched its whole product and service portfolio in Kenya.
Helium Health has collaborated with three local suppliers to help with distribution: Philips Healthcare Technologies, Carepay, and Savannah Informatics. New services will be integrated, including an EMR that will serve the whole East African market.
“We have been planning to expand into Kenya’s thriving health tech sector since last year, so we’re very excited to be hitting the ground running in 2021, already working with three new local partners to help improve efficiencies and provide a better service to patients. We believe there is a great opportunity to harness cutting-edge technology to help improve the way healthcare data is gathered and managed across Africa, so partnering with like-minded healthcare providers and facilities in Kenya is an excellent fit for us,” Tito Ovia, co-founder, Helium Health said.
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Helium Health concluded a Ksh. 1.078 billion ($10 million) Series A investment round recently, allowing the company to develop and expand in both existing and new markets. As a result, the company’s footprint will grow across East, North, and Francophone West Africa. In addition, the firm has previously collaborated with facilities in Uganda and Liberia to enroll its 90-plus users in early 2021, and is currently expanding its services to Nairobi facilities.
Helium Health provides a comprehensive set of solutions that span the whole healthcare value chain, from electronic medical records (EMR) and hospital management information systems (HMI) to credit and telemedicine.
| S/N | AFRICAN STARTUP | SECTOR | BASE COUNTRY OF OPERATIONS | COUNTRY EXPANDED INTO IN 2021 (AS AT JUNE 16TH) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Odiggo | Auto-tech | Egypt | Dubai |
| 2 | mPharma | Healthtech | Ghana | Ethiopia |
| 3 | Aza Finance | Fintech | Kenya | South Africa |
| 4 | Gozem | Ride-hailing | Togo | Gabon |
| 5 | Andela | Edtech | New York, USA | Latin, South America |
| 6 | SWVL | Ride-hailing | Egypt | Saudi Arabia |
| 7 | GOMYCODE | Edtech | Tunisia | Morocco; Senegal |
| 8 | FairMoney | Fintech | Nigeria | India |
| 9 | Autochek | Car listing | Nigeria | Ghana |
| 10 | Daystar Power | Solar energy | Nigeria | Togo |
| 11 | ZeePay | Fintech | Ghana | Zambia |
| 12 | Catch | Ride-hailing | Ethiopia | Kenya |
| 13 | AURA | Security | South Africa | Kenya |
| 14 | Paystack | Fintech | Nigeria | South Africa |
| 15 | Flutterwave | Fintech | Nigeria | Ethiopia |
| 16 | Termii | Communications-as-a-service | Nigeria | Cote D’ivoire |
| 17 | Little Cab | Ride-hailing | Kenya | Ethiopia |
| 18 | Helium Health | Healthtech | Nigeria | Kenya |
A Look At What Startup Helium Health Does
Based in Lagos and founded in 2014 by three Nigerians, Goke Olubisi, Tito Ovia and Dimeji Sofowora, Helium Health has developed telemedicine tools as part of the current health crisis that facilitate access to information and test results for patients with covid-19.
“Healthcare can be a form of revenue to a country if proper investment is made in preserving the quality of data. With accurate data, the right kind of budget can be made, we get to do research and a lot more,’’ said co-founder Tito Ovia.
“Only 30% of hospital visits across Africa are recorded so it’s a massive need in the market,” she said.
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Helium Health was previously alumni of the Google LaunchPad programme and the prestigious YCombinator accelerator programme. The startup says it now covers more than 300 health facilities across Nigeria, and has over 5,000 medical professionals in its database. It also says it has recorded over 165,000 encounters with patients.
“Since 2016, Helium Health has taken hospitals, clinics and other health facilities digital almost instantly using our flagship Electronic Medical Records/Hospital Management Information System (EMR/HMIS) product. Now, our intuitive and versatile suite of technologies is enabling Providers utilize telemedicine and receive additional financing, Payers validate beneficiaries and process claims quicker, Patients take control of their care, and other Partners receive unprecedented epidemiological insights and real-world evidence, all resulting in significantly better quality of care,’’ the startup noted on its website.
Charles Rapulu Udoh
Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer who has advised startups across Africa on issues such as startup funding (Venture Capital, Debt financing, private equity, angel investing etc), taxation, strategies, etc. He also has special focus on the protection of business or brands’ intellectual property rights ( such as trademark, patent or design) across Africa and other foreign jurisdictions.
He is well versed on issues of ESG (sustainability), media and entertainment law, corporate finance and governance.
He is also an award-winning writer