Across Africa, communities already grappling with weak public services and infrastructure are on the frontlines of climate change. In Africa, tens of millions of people are already feeling the negative health impacts of climate change as a result of heat stress, extreme weather, and infectious disease. Climate change is predicted to lead to about 250,000 more deaths per year between 2030 and 2050. These additional deaths will be caused by things like insufficient nutrition, malaria, diarrhea diseases, and health conditions related to extreme heat. The effects of a warming planet on food production, insect-borne illnesses, access to clean water, and insufficient sanitation systems are expected to claim the lives of even more.
As in many African countries, Tanzanians struggle to access affordable, quality healthcare. Public facilities are under-equipped and overburdened, and private care is cost-prohibitive. In all, 85% of Tanzanians lack access to the essential care they need.
As climate change impacts intensify, the need for affordable preventative and primary care, diagnostics, and compliance support will also intensify. Medikea makes such services accessible to overlooked Tanzanians, directly empowering vulnerable groups to safeguard their well-being in the face of growing threats. Medikea’s hybrid model blends round-the-clock telemedicine with physical clinics located in underserved communities to make trusted care convenient and cost-effective.
Here’s why we are excited to have invested in Medikea:
Climate change is driving an urgent need for more and better healthcare services among vulnerable Africans. Healthcare providers will face increasing demand from malnutrition, infectious diseases, heat-related conditions, injuries, non-communicable diseases, mental health stressors, and more.
Even as demand is growing, supply is weak and limited, creating a vicious cycle in which the most vulnerable people spend the most to resolve health issues. Less than half of Africans have access to healthcare and there are only 0.2 physicians per 1,000 people, less than a quarter of the next weakest region (South Asia at 0.9 physicians per 1,000 people). In Africa, 11 million people are already in poverty as a result of spending precious income on essential healthcare services.
Medikea seeks to meet these by offering a hybrid model that combines all-in-one health centers with convenient telemedicine support. Together, their model makes vital health services accessible for overlooked communities via integrated care ecosystem centers' affordability, convenience, and quality to serve vulnerable populations.
In just over a year, Medikea has delivered care to nearly 10,000 Tanzanians living on shoestring budgets. The centers offer convenience at a cost that is unheard of on the continent. The centers provide diagnostic services, consultations, connections to specialists, and pharmacies. From diagnosis to treatment, their services cost nearly half of the alternatives – saving patients hundreds of dollars and keeping many from damaging poverty cycles. Financing options that coordinate mobile savings schemes further aid affordability, benefiting vulnerable families.
Medikea also leverages telemedicine to embed screening, education, and disease management into communities. Their preventative approach is key for climate adaptation by identifying risks early and avoiding compounding health issues. Patients gain tools and support to protect their well-being.
As the team scales from serving thousands to millions, they are committed to maximizing and measuring the impact on accessibility, costs, and climate resilience. Robust indicators tied to incomes, infrastructure, demographics, and climate exposure will guide measurement efforts. Ultimately Medikea sustainably expands healthcare access for overlooked groups facing interconnected poverty and climate threats.
Medikea’s core innovation is in seamlessly interconnecting virtual telemedicine with thoughtfully designed physical clinics to offer the best of both worlds.
Their user-friendly telehealth platform makes primary care efficiently accessible from anywhere via text, audio, or video at just ~$3 per consultation. Customized electronic medical records then enable patient data fluidity between virtual and in-clinic visits.
Physical locations build upon virtual convenience by allowing thorough in-person examinations when necessary with integrated on-site diagnostics and pharmacy. Care is delivered through an optimized, streamlined workflow - centering quality time between patients and doctors.
This interconnected system creates Medikea’s next-generation healthcare experience balancing pressing infrastructure limitations with transformational technology. Patients enjoy improved outcomes, savings, and personalized relationships. While doctors can practice patient-centric medicine unburdened by systemic dysfunction.
By interlinking digital tools with physical care, Medikea innovates a new breed of accessible, affordable, and caring African healthcare built on trust. We’re thrilled to back their vision.
Medikea currently operates in Tanzania’s largest city, Dar es Salaam, where they’ve established one clinic to date. But with 110 million annual primary care visits nationally, the startup is primed for exponential growth.
Our collaboration will support Medikea’s geographic and product expansion. Together, we will engage in the development and implementation of strategic sales initiatives alongside our partners, execute customer-centric marketing campaigns, and establish robust technological systems to optimize efficiencies and facilitate scalable growth. Furthermore, we aim to facilitate connections between Medikea and investors within the healthtech sector who share similar objectives, providing potential funding for their ambitious endeavors.
Medikea’s founders bring crucial on-the-ground medical expertise. Both CEO Dr. Elvis Silayo and COO Dr. Desire Ruhinda practiced in Tanzania’s national hospital before launching Medikea. It’s this frontline experience that grounds the startup’s patient-centric innovation.
We couldn’t be more excited to back this driven founding team, combining world-class support with growth capital to scale Medikea into a leader in affordable African healthcare.
Read more from our team at Catalyst Fund
