MTN Group and Hello Doctor have partnered to deliver mobile health (m-health) solutions across Africa.

Here we talk about a mobile health solution across Africa. This means that, MTN and Hello Doctor bring a solution designed to work with the local General Practitioners (GPs) to ensure that consumers receive the right information before seeing a doctor.

For those who unfamiliar, Connectikpeople recalls that Hello Doctor allows people access to trusted, in-depth medical information combined with professional insights and advice from registered medical doctors across

multiple platforms.

In South Africa, we have the Hello Doctor TV show, produced and anchored by Dr Michael Mol on SABC 2. Hello Doctor also offers access to medical advice and doctors via the Hello Doctor mobile apps.

In addition, the Hello Doctor app is free to download and works off both smart (iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Nokia and HTML5). The app provides free content that is updated daily, providing consumers with access to healthcare advice, answers to health-related questions in live group chat forums, confidential one-on-one text-a-doctor Q&As and the ability to receive a call back from doctor within 60 minutes.

Pending the availability of the USSD, the paid-for services that will be available to MTN subscribers via the Hello Doctor mobile app include Digital Doctor and House Call. 

 According to MTN Group, these services will provide subscribers with instant confidential access to over 100 registered doctors in South Africa who will be able to give medical guidance and advice.

The House Call service allows consumers telephonic access to a doctor any time of the day and night, as well as additional services on the mobile app and website that are aimed at helping people achieve and maintain their health and wellness goals.

MTN Group also announced that, with each new territory being rolled out, Hello Doctor will partner with local doctor networks to ensure that users get access to doctors for advice and guidance in their own language. The service will also be integrated with existing healthcare services that MTN already offers such the “midwife” programme in Ghana.

About Hello Doctor

Since its launch in 2009, Hello Doctor has grown to over 600 000 users in South Africa across multiple portals and social media platforms. In January 2013, Metropolitan Health recognised the synergy and growth potential by acquiring a 50.1% stake in the Hello Doctor business. Hello Doctor’s intention is not to replace the GP, but instead to support primary and preventative healthcare by acting as an assistant to local GPs when consumers want a quick healthcare reference before seeing their GP or rushing off to the hospital. No examination and diagnosis is made and, therefore, no clinical medical healthcare is undertaken - you just receive access to health information and guidance when you need it most.

About the MTN Group

Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a leading emerging market operator, connecting subscribers in 22 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code: “MTN.” As of 30 September 2013, MTN recorded 203.8 million subscribers across its operations in Afghanistan, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Republic, Iran, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville), Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, South Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia.