Mobile Application / Healthcare
Providing health delivery services to the employed uninsured African poor through the medium of mobile phones is a unique way of solving one of the most pressing socio, economic and political problems in South Africa and the continent of Africa. Which is “Access to Health”.
The innovator
The Prior Group is a unique Healthcare Management and Consulting Company from South Africa. The CEO, Bryan Sidders, has over 40 years of experience operating in the South African healthcare industry (20 years with Prior).
The company's mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of lower income groups through the use of simple, innovative mobile based systems that enable the dissemination of health products and services in a very simple and cost effective manner. Lower income groups comprise the “Employed Uninsured” - people who are employed, but cannot afford the monthly premiums of medical insurance. Use of the Prior Mobile Health Voucher is pre-paid, negating the necessity of a monthly contribution.The innovation: pre-paid health service
Initially, there are two products:
• Prior Med e Health™: Mobile Health Voucher for people who cannot afford Medical Scheme Cover.
It works same as very successful pre-paid airtime – but here it is pre-paid health.
• Prior Med e Card™: Auto Mobile Membership and Validation System for Medical Scheme Members.
Nutritional vouchers, pharmacy vouchers, ozone and dental vouchers will be added soon after launch.
The technology
The advantages of mobile technology in health delivery have been grossly underutilized in the healthcare industry, especially regarding simple and cost effective mobile solutions that are sustainable being mobile based.
Prior has well established Technology Partners for Vouchers (i-Sixty) – including for all front end mobile devices via RAD (Rapid Application Development & Deployment) - both of whom are also fully capable of scaling the business easily. i-Sixty already processes millions of Rands of payments to Doctors via auto transactions monthly. Prior has a patent over the Mobile Health Voucher and Med e Card - and is the owner of a fully developed system that supports the creation, retail, distribution and redemption, and payment of health Vouchers.Prior is busy developing an IT Platform for a fully integrated set of systems to run Primary Healthcare Clinics or Doctor Practices. This is also being prepared for Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) & National Health Insurance (NHI). We can offer them an integrated solution to run their health facilities, which includes Med e Card as a membership system for NHI, and the Vouchers as a way for NHI to manage patient benefits and payments.
The market
There is a major need in the South African healthcare market for simple, affordable access to health services. The main target market comprises all corporate and small businesses where most of the 15m uninsured people are employed.
Direct sales will also be made to individuals, and if this includes their family members, then the potential for sales increases significantly. Only 14% of the South African population is on medical insurance.
Distribution
The product shall be distributed through a multi-distribution channel system. Players in our distribution channel are payable by a commission-driven model: Corporate employers via brokers, retail sector, micro lending space, mining sector, free/ individual market, medical schemes and administrators, cellular networks, and public sector.
Internationalization
Africa Market opportunities evaluations will commence in 2019; from early 2020, product will start to be rolled out to African markets.
After a successful rollout in South Africa, Prior will expand into other African countries where very few of the population are on any medical insurance. For this purpose, a holding company for all non-SA activities will be founded in Mauritius. The continent of Africa represents huge business opportunities for Prior.Investment case
Prior is seeking debt and/or equity capital of between US$ 1 million and 12 million.