Egypt may have only just had its first health tech hackathon ever but there are quite a few startups that have been doing the good work to help the North African country better it’s problematic healthcare system.
The rural poor are most affected by these issues which range from poor service at government-run hospitals and lack of effective health insurance to the highest rates of Hepatitis C in the entire world. According to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), seven percent of Egyptians between the ages of 15 and 59 suffer from chronic Hepatitis C.
So what is being done to change this narrative of sub-par healthcare and accessibility? Well, Egypt’s health tech startups are throwing themselves at it. We took a look at some of the more interesting startups doing great stuff. Here’s what we found:
D-Kimia
Founded in 2013 as a spin-off of the American University of Cairo (AUC) D-Kimia developed a diagnostic tool for the discovery of the Hepatitis C virus (HCV). The company raised $500K from Egyptian and Arab investors and its hepatitis diagnosis tool is much cheaper than current alternatives and it gives results within an hour as well.
Shezlong
This startup focuses on mental health and connects its users to therapist privately, anytime (not unlike the US’ TalkSpace). Users can also search from a community of therapists to find exactly what they need as well as various payment and appointment reservations. Shezlong has raised $516K so far.
Supermama
Just like Nigeria’s Mamalette, this startup targets mothers and provides tips, content among other pieces of information that is useful and instructive. Supermama also operates forums where mothers can share real life experiences about giving birth, managing a career and childbirth, among other pertinent things.
Medicobot
This startups is a Facebook bot that uses AI to match medical inquiries to doctors, specialists and other specialized medical services. The startup claims to have received over 6,000 medical inquiries in its first month.
Tabibi 24/7
This startup lets users request private, personalised home medical service through a phone call or an online portal. Tabibi 24/7 offers its service round the clock in addition to family e-medical records, health insurance coverage and ease of access to clinics in Cairo.
El Dacatra
This company offers medical comparison services for patients who want to compare private healthcare providers. It also provides easy access to doctor information, qualifications, and patient reviews in addition to publishing content from verified doctors.
Bionic Limbs
This research and development startup is the only medical hardware startup we could find currently operating in Egypt (do let us know if we missed any). The company develops affordable, functional and prosthetic limbs with a focus on customizability and speed of production. Bionic Limbs won 1st Place in the UNESCO Life Science and Healthcare category.
The health tech industry in Egypt is arguably still in its infancy but thanks to the startups listed above (and quite a few others we couldn’t find enough information on), there is a lot of innovation happening. It’ll be interesting to see where the technology takes the Egyptian health tech scene.
