Udok, a digital healthcare company founded in 2018 that facilitates the delivery of online doctors’ consultations, has raised R10-million in a seed round.
The company has developed a digital ecosystem consisting of hardware and software to capture accurate medical information from patients. This enables providers to make diagnosis remotely in real time.
Udok has been providing remote consultations directly to patients via smart devices, and to pharmacy clinics.
Dr Petrus van Niekerk, founder and CEO of Udok, says: “The company is proud to be appointed by The Clicks Group, the largest pharmacy retailer in Africa, to deliver online consultations to their pharmacy clinics.
“This a fundamental move towards making healthcare more accessible in South Africa. Our mission is to make healthcare accessible to everyone on this continent through a smart device which can be the patient’s own, or a designated device at one of our network partners.”
Udok will use the finds to expand its network and technology.
The company has already built a smart patient queuing system powered by AI.
This feature is built to manage massive patient workload and is used to manage a large online walk-in-clinic.
The app consists of a chat interface connected to a timeline that records every communication between patient and provider. Multiple providers can contribute to the same timeline to ensure the best multidisciplinary care for the patient.
The company is currently working on pathways that are condition specific to help drive patient treatment compliance.
Udok is currently testing laboratory analysis inside its retail partners’ stores.
The company believes it can offer the majority of laboratory testing at a much lower price than conventional laboratories do.
Its aim is to become the single largest connected care platform to bridge the gap between patient, provider and payor.
Udok has massively increased its usage since the start of Covid-19.