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Unu Health launches a game-changing health app into the South African market with private healthcare from R179.
Unu Health is charting a new course in tech-driven healthcare with the launch of its innovative As-You-Go private healthcare app. This initiative, which blends cutting-edge technology with essential health services, is poised to transform the landscape of healthcare accessibility and affordability for South Africans.
Leveraging the power of digital platforms, Unu Health’s app serves as a central hub for medical services, directly accessible via smartphones. This approach addresses the significant challenges faced by many South Africans in accessing healthcare, primarily due to cost and convenience barriers. By bringing health solutions into the digital realm, Unu Health offers a forward-thinking solution to a critical national issue.
As the global community marks World Health Day this April, the timing of Unu Health’s app launch couldn't be more pertinent. Offering private healthcare services starting at just R179, the app caters to the needs of a diverse user base, ensuring that quality healthcare is within reach for all South Africans.
In a country where healthcare access is often limited and demands on individuals' time are high, Unu Health's As-You-Go offering represents a significant milestone in bridging gaps in healthcare accessibility and affordability. Unu Health aims to give the mass market a patient-centric experience that empowers users to prioritise their health and well-being amidst their busy schedules by offering flexible and on-demand healthcare services, such as an online doctor consultation within minutes. Having spoken to thousands of users and testers in the past two years, Unu Health understands the needs and gaps and has designed an app to help keep healthcare simple, convenient and affordable.
“The launch of the As-You-Go offering extends access to the mass market, ensuring that everyone, regardless of their financial constraints or busy schedules, can prioritise their health and well-being,” said Tania Joffe, CEO of Unu Health.
The As-You-Go model is emblematic of the digital age, providing flexible, -on-demand healthcare services that empower users to take charge of their health and well-being. The launch of the app offering is supported by a partnership with
Intercare (a healthcare group), which provides Unu Health app users access to their online healthcare services and a national network of in-person doctor consultations. It comes at a pivotal time as South Africa continues to grapple with its status as the world's unhealthiest country, as highlighted five years ago in the 2019 Indigo Wellness Index (which focuses on blood pressure, blood glucose, obesity, depression, happiness, alcohol use, tobacco use, exercise, healthy life expectancy, and government spending on healthcare).
Acknowledging the partnership with Intercare, Joffe said, “Our collaboration with Intercare aligns perfectly with our mission to provide easy access to healthcare through digital platforms. Intercare brings clinical expertise, while Unu Health focuses on ensuring that access to the medical services offered are designed around the needs of individuals in today’s fast-paced world.”
"This partnership empowers us to enhance accessibility and convenience for patients, ensuring they receive top-tier clinical services seamlessly integrated into Unu Health's user-friendly app," says Hendri Hanekom, Managing Director at Intercare. As a healthcare group committed to enhancing access to affordable, quality, integrated healthcare, our extensive network of medical facilities and integrated online healthcare services complement Unu Health's innovative digital platform, offering patients comprehensive access to high-quality clinical services whenever they need it, especially for lifestyle-related diseases.
Unu Health has an ecosystem approach to driving the cost of healthcare down and the quality up by working with leading healthcare players that can adhere to their charter of care that always puts the patient at the centre of the experience.
Tackling Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) head-on
Beyond the online and on-demand access to Intercare doctors and nurses and the national network of in-person doctor consultations, Unu Health facilitates early detection of critical health conditions through innovative features like a 50-second face scan for vital signs. This tech-centric approach is crucial in combating non-communicable diseases, which are the leading cause of premature mortality.
Users will be able to do a free monthly health check from the data-free Unu Health app, measuring blood pressure, pulse, and blood oxygen levels. Thus, everyone with the app can pick up early warning signs associated with hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
Studies have shown that in South Africa, 215 people die of a stroke or heart attack daily. Eighty per cent of these deaths are premature and preventable. Key contributing factors include elevated blood pressure or hypertension and obesity. Three in every four women are obese in South Africa, with a body mass index (BMI) above 30, and one in three men. “The Unu Health app calculates BMI, providing users with crucial insight to potential health risks,” explained Joffe.
A further contributing factor is elevated fasting glucose, experienced by one in three adults in South Africa. Roughly 13% of the country’s population suffers from diabetes, which is the number one cause of death among women. More than half are not aware of this, as they have been asymptomatic for the first decade or so. Early detection and access to information that helps people adopt healthier habits is key to turning the tide on non-communicable or lifestyle-associated diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Dr Phathokuhle Zondi, Clinical Lead at Unu Health, highlighted the profound implications of these statistics, stating the importance of confronting these challenges head-on and embracing innovative approaches to healthcare delivery that prioritise accessibility, affordability, and empowerment.
Acknowledging the partnership with Intercare, Joffe said, “Our collaboration with Intercare aligns perfectly with our mission to provide easy access to healthcare through digital platforms. Intercare brings clinical expertise, while Unu Health focuses on ensuring that access to the medical services offered are designed around the needs of individuals in today’s fast-paced world.”
"This partnership empowers us to enhance accessibility and convenience for patients, ensuring they receive top-tier clinical services seamlessly integrated into Unu Health's user-friendly app," says Hendri Hanekom, Managing Director at Intercare. As a healthcare group committed to enhancing access to affordable, quality, integrated healthcare, our extensive network of medical facilities and integrated online healthcare services complement Unu Health's innovative digital platform, offering patients comprehensive access to high-quality clinical services whenever they need it, especially for lifestyle-related diseases.
Unu Health has an ecosystem approach to driving the cost of healthcare down and the quality up by working with leading healthcare players that can adhere to their charter of care that always puts the patient at the centre of the experience.
Embracing the future world of healthcare
Unu Health's introduction of the As-You-Go offering highlights its commitment to innovating healthcare accessibility and affordability, a basic human right many struggle to access. By empowering consumers to monitor vital signs at the click of a button on their smartphones, Unu Health provides free access to the new era of proactive healthcare management.
“We designed the As-You-Go model to demonstrate that access to quality healthcare is as convenient as shopping for essentials online. The platform's inclusive healthcare solutions cater to diverse needs, ensuring accessibility and affordability for everyone's journey toward a healthier, happier life,” said Joffe.
The Unu Health As-You-Go app is available for download on Google Playstore, Apple iStore, and Huawei App Gallery.
About Unu Health
Unu Health is a curated digital platform that delivers access to a range of healthcare offerings and the latest health tech solutions designed to deliver real value for its users. Unu Health gives users the technology, tools and tips they need to stay healthy all in one simple app that’s free. They have two payment models should access to a doctor be needed, with one simple click, either the As-You-Go offer with access to a doctor or by subscribing to a health plan which currently is only available through an employer as an UnuForBiz offering.
Unu Health’s technology provides access to medical insurance plans at the touch of a button – no more standing in long queues to see a nurse or doctor.
Note - Press release as supplied by Unu Health South Africa
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