Your mobile phone might one day save your life especially if you have Whatsapp on your device.
Last week I developed a condition in my eyes. They were itchy! My first instinct being Tech Savvy (you should guess) was to Google the condition so as to find out prior to seeing a doctor whether it was a serious situation or not. I did get some pointers on WebMD but while I was still sifting through my Twitter account, I landed on something even more revolutionary — something that could help me speak directly to a Doctor instantly — the Whatsapp Doctor.
A brain child of Group Managing Director at The Medical Concierge Group, a Startup that’s changing healthcare in Uganda, the Whatsapp Doctor gives mobile users near instant access to a medical professional right from the palm of their hands. When I asked about my condition after adding the “Whatsapp Doctor” to my phone book, I got a useful response in just 10 minutes — for FREE.
So I caught up with Dr. Davis Musinguzi, the group Managing Director over email for a quick product interview about this fascinating service. Launched in just over a month ago on April 1st 2014, the innovative group is using Whatsapp, a widely popular texting service among the youth and one the most popular mobile Apps, to reach to patients.
“WhatsApp has gained phenomenal uptake among young people as a messaging service in Uganda. The reason why these communication platforms have gained so much traction is because of our innate need to connect and what better way to do so at almost the cost of nothing.
What we have done at The Medical Concierge Group is leverage the youth’s familiarity with Whatsapp to connect them to Doctors and Pharmacists that can provide answers to their health questions. We call it ‘WhatsappDoc’ that can reached on 0790 512 074″ Davis told me.
simply remarkable. Whatsapp already has almost all the features to extract whatever information a physician will need. You can upload images to give more elaborate information about your condition if that’s necessary, perhaps record an audio or even better a video using your smartphone camera and instantly upload for the Doctor! The group also provides an ambulance service, so the location feature might come in handy too.
Everyone can get connected these days; online, via sms or phone call. This is one great way to extend health services. I hope TMCG gets all the support they need to sustain this and even take it to another level
Very useful I must say