Babyl, a digital medical consultation company in Rwanda has launched a strategic partnership with Britam Insurance Rwanda to make healthcare in the country even more accessible.

The goal of the deal is to drive affordability and accessibility to quality health care in Rwanda. This will allow individuals all over the country to book medical consultations and speak to clinicians over the phone from the comfort of their homes or offices.

The deal will also allow Britam customers to get medical consultations, receive prescriptions for drugs and book laboratory tests where necessary, making it easy and convenient for users to access healthcare.

The launch of this partnership follows the successful implementation of a 12-month long pilot phase where Britam Health Insurance clients were introduced to the digital health service and sensitized on the benefits of digital healthcare.

Britam subscribers will now dial *811# and receive prompt instructions to access Babyl services and use their insurance to pay for a Babyl consultation. The price point entry for the service is Rwf5,000 and the patients will be charged according to the different co-pay categories.

Commenting on the development ; the CEO of Britam, Andrew Kulayige revealed that Britam is making intentional and concentrated efforts to improve the experience of its customers by easing access to services.

“This partnership is a step in the right direction towards not only achieving the goals of our 2021-2025 strategy, one centered on customer centric transformation, but also supporting Rwandans access to quality Health Care and accessing it quickly. Insurance will be a key enabler of this and we are glad to be pioneering the solution with Babyl,” he said.

Dr. Shivon Byamukama, the Managing Director of Baby Rwanda said that the company aims to give patients the most convenient experience while seeking healthcare services.

“The adoption of digital healthcare in Rwanda has been remarkable. Babyl clinicians now handle over 3,500 consultations per day. So far, we have been partnering with RAMA and Mutuelle de Santé and now we are extending the partnership to private insurance. That is where Britam comes in," he noted.

"This partnership and the pilot with Britam is a significant milestone for its members. We look forward to onboarding more insurance companies and ensuring all Rwandans have access to a doctor from wherever they are for early engagement, preventative care and quick access to medical practitioners,’’ added Dr. Byamukama.

The popularity and quick adoption of digital healthcare in Rwanda is also a key factor in reducing self-diagnosis and self-medication in society.

Babyl has a helpline service (8111) that is open from Monday to Saturday, 7a.m. to 7p.m. that handles any inquiries and assists customers in issues ranging from subscription, payment and information on partner pharmacies and laboratories.

About Britam

Britam is a leading diversified financial services group and is listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange. The group has presence in seven Africa countries, including Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, Mozambique and Malawi. The company offers a wide range of financial products and services in Insurance, Asset management, Banking and Property.

About Babyl

Babyl Rwanda is a subsidiary of Babylon, and is the largest digital medical consultation service provider in Rwanda. Babyl has signed a 10-year partnership with the Government of Rwanda in early 2020 to develop a new healthcare delivery model of ‘Digital-First Integrated Care’, where all Rwandans are able to gain access to qualified doctors and nurses through their mobile phone.

It serves RSSB and Mutuelle de Santé subscribers. To date, Babyl has over 2.5 million registered users and carries out up to 3,500 consultations a day.

Babyl has supported the Government of Rwanda on home-care follow up for asymptomatic Covid-19 patients, where patients were followed up on a daily basis, reporting other symptoms that may occur and ensuring the patients were out of the high-risk population and isolated at home until they test negative for the virus.

AE News