A country with no health care system is basically a lost one.
This is why when we get people who create an easier way to access a healthcare system we tend to be impressed. The chances are that in our increasingly busy lives, we will need to get health advice and information at short notice and potentially outside of usual medical practitioner hours or without having to wait for clinic appointments, meaning that an alternative is required. South African techpreneur, Gaby Lobban, founder of Zumbudda, knows this scenario only too well as a busy working mother of three children. Her website offers real-time e-chats with expert healthcare professionals is providing a great and innovative solution.
Her company is a unique one and a growing one in the market.
Zumbudda is a technology company which has launched a website offering REAL-Time eChats with healthcare professionals (Experts) to people looking for advice. More personal than a Google search and more specialised than a helpline. The technology used is proprietary software which allows the Expert to charge a set rate per minute and anyone can sign up to chat using credits purchased through an approved payment gateway like PayPal. Practitioners know their limits of care so they are very wary and conservative in their approach to eVisits but they often consult on the phone for minor problems so all this does is move the call to an online text chat which is billed per minute. This also ensures both parties have a record of their conversation which they can keep on file for future reference.
Where does Zumbuda usually come in?
Many people are worried about receiving a diagnosis over the internet, but this is not the purpose of the website. Advice could include questions about a health issue or to get clarity on a medication or even confirm if you need to go seek a face-to-face consultation urgently. When your own practitioner is unavailable often there isn’t a relationship with another Expert so Zumbudda could be a plan B or a second opinion. A lot of working mothers and single fathers would benefit from this website but it could be for anybody, young or old seeking healthcare advice.
Why is such a site an accomplishment?
The reality is, it’s better to have an expert to communicate with than even Googling symptoms online. This has obviously created jobs in the healthcare industry and it’s great because experts are selected through a quality assurance process and they also have to sign up and become members which ensures that they are registered with the relevant regulating body or council. Experts can work more flexible hours and manage their office hours more efficiently by being available online to their clients after hours or during non-peak periods.
