Rwandan startup Yapili is set to pilot its online platform that connect users with healthcare professionals around the world in Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Botswana and Nigeria.
Disrupt Africa initially reported on Yapili in September last year, when it was operating under the name mTiba.
The startup was formed in November 2014 after six entrepreneurs met on the East African leg of the AMPION Venture Bus. It has spent the time since then perfecting its platform, and now plans to run a six-month pilot programme with 20 doctors. It is looking for pilot users to sign up to participate.
To use Yapili, a user must register online and fill out a quick questionnaire. The platform then matches the user with an available doctor who will follow them over time. Users can make requests to doctors which will be responded to within 48 hours, with consultations enabled through chat messages, pictures, videos, and audio calls.
“The users will build a lasting and reliable relationship with a health professional, getting them on track for better advice and better health,” co-founder Thibault Mutabazi said.
“The same doctor will follow patients throughout their medical history, but it will always be possible to change a doctor in case a patient wishes so.”
The pilot is aimed at drawing the conclusions needed for the business case, with the thus far self-funded startup then planning on attracting investment.
