Ponea Health: The All-In-One Platform Providing Universal, Transparent and Convenient Access to Healthcare

Akshay Shah, Co-Founder of Ponea Health, explains how the all-in-one platform made in Kenya aims to provide universal, transparent and convenient access to healthcare.

“The way we structure the whole platform is by connecting three important actors in the healthcare ecosystem globally. First, is the patients who need access to a marketplace to know what is available, at what price and in what location. Is it available through telemedicine? Is it available through home care or do I have to go there? They should be able to see the reviews of other patients and they should see a clinical rating of this provider. All of that transparency comes through the marketplace which we have as a website, as well as a mobile app. For example, you could be living in a country where the cost of care is very high, but there could be a more affordable option in another place that is just across the border. And you could just simply go there and, for example, get an insulin injection at a fraction of the cost compared to the country in which you are living, and for some people that is a life and death choice. So the marketplace really enables that to happen. It gives the power of choice back to the patient. On the other side of the platform, we have the healthcare professionals. Here, we are talking about nutrition, wellness, and outpatient care. And later, we will also get to inpatient as well. If you are a healthcare professional and you are not connected to a marketplace, you will eventually be out of business because the patient is the one who has the power of choice. And if they cannot find you on a marketplace where they cannot see your reviews, your price, and an easy way to connect with you and book an appointment, then you as a healthcare provider are essentially going to become obsolete. There is a need to plug in to a health tech platform, which is what we offer through Ponea. Then, we have the third piece of this whole healthcare ecosystem puzzle which is the partners, because we are trying to solve this whole thing in one go. They can be healthcare professionals like insurance companies, financial institutions which are providing a loan or savings product around healthcare, donor institutions or philanthropic institutions who are trying to channel funding to the most vulnerable populations in the world, employers, etc”, says Akshay Shah.

ABOUT PONEA HEALTH: Ponea provides an online healthcare marketplace that offers convenience, discretion and lower cost of healthcare to africans living in urban areas. Ponea targets to consolidate 70% of private healthcare providers online to provide greater choice and access for patients, and more cost-efficient operations for providers from the marketplace enablers. Ponea enables expansion of private healthcare through enhanced distribution of medical services thus creating jobs and driving full employment of the scarce medical providers.

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