By Dayo Ojerinde
After over three years of providing affordable health plans for low to middle-income earners in Nigeria and in its quest to further expand its services, WellaHealth has unveiled a new and improved products that address the health concerns of average Nigeria, WellaHealth 2.0.
The firm, according to a statement on Friday, also acquired Wellvis, an online platform that provides telemedicine services.
The event, held virtually and physically at the corporate head office of Wellahealth Nigeria, Abuja, was attended by dignitaries and staff members of the company.
Speaking through a press statement made available to the press and signed by the Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ikpeme Neto, the Marketing and Communication Lead, WellaHealth, Shine Dichaine, noted that the health tech startup company which provides healthcare services by leveraging technology and collaborating with local pharmacies and other healthcare providers to make healthcare coverage available, with a price as low as N600 a month has grown exponentially since its launch in 2017 and it is excited to announce WellaHealth 2.0, a new and refreshed service offering for its consumers.
She added, that with the launch, Wellahealth is now providing affordable cover for Nigerians managing chronic illnesses, maternity coverage, and more cover for hospital visits, tests, telemedicine and others.
“Initially starting with malaria coverage, WellaHealth has expanded to cover consultation for other common illnesses and infections and now chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension. WellaHealth services also cover drugs to treat these illnesses via point-of-care consultation and testing at about 1,600 local pharmacies that we collaborate with”.
“With plans ranging from basic to the broader HospiCash plan, users can get coverage for Malaria tests and drugs if test positive; Blood pressure test; Diabetes test. Also, telemedicine services and consultation, where a user can chat or talk with a Doctor; Funeral coverage which will be paid to the user’s next of kin in the event of death, and up to N100,000 cash-back on hospital visits per year. Users can get all these and even diet plans for as low as N800 per month at their nearest pharmacy.”
“With an easy registration process, partnership with local pharmacies, and pre-paid and automated point-of-service care, the value of WellaHealth plans lie in the convenience they provide; they reduce hospital travel costs and make the authentic medication available, their accessibility, and also affordability; with inclusive financing plans that cater to the earning power of the average Nigerian.”
The launch according to her was also used as an avenue to announce the acquisition of Wellvis, an online platform where people can ask health-related questions and get instant replies from qualified health professionals thereby reducing the incidence of Self-diagnosis and self-medication, adding that all existing Wellvis users will be onboarded to WellaHealth and enjoy the free plan option and other benefits of being a Wellahealth user.
“Other services that come with WellaHealth 2.0 include Access to an online community for healthcare practitioners to discuss the unique challenges they face in Nigerian healthcare. ‘Chronicle’ is an affordable bundle care package for chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, sickle cell disease, and more. Higher benefit plans that cover maternity, hospital admissions and more.”
She continued, “Drug discounts and coverage for drugs for chronic conditions. This also comes with medication delivery and refill options through WellaHealth’s fulfilment service. Another problem that WellaHealth hopes to solve is the difficulty average Nigerians face when trying to find and pay for authentic medication.”
“Besides individual and family plans, WellaHealth also includes coverage for staff, so businesses who concern themselves with employee well-being can get a group plan for staff. WellaHealth is excited to be working on these bundle plans with several leading pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies who are keen to see more affordable access to quality medicines.”
“Dedicated to its belief that African lives and health matter, WellaHealth is committed to making healthcare affordable and accessible to everyone regardless of class status or income bracket and the startup is only just getting started on its mission of bringing healthcare to the door of every African at an affordable rate.
“Interested users and businesses can take advantage of this low pricing now and buy a plan by visiting the pricing page or requesting a quote for businesses,” she said.