MDaaS Global, a Nigerian healthtech has launched operations in Douala, Cameroon to provide quality healthcare to undeserved communities in the country.
MdaaS Global is also eyeing expanding its expansion into the larger Francophone Africa as it aims to go beyond Nigeria. The firm has opened its first diagnostic clinic in Douala, Cameroon, its bridge into the Franchophone region.
Founded in 2017 in Nigeria, MDaaS now operates 16 clinics in Nigeria providing diagnostic services, including X-rays, ultrasounds, and laboratory tests and is working with 20 affiliated clinics in over 26 states in Nigeria, serving over 16,000 patient visits monthly.
In a statement, MDaaS CEO Oluwasoga Oni said, “We observed that customer service and efficiency in diagnostic centres were areas that could be significantly improved in Cameroon. Many patients there still have to return physically to collect results—a problem we’ve addressed in Nigeria through our tech-driven solutions.”
MDaaS Global operates Nigeria’s fastest-growing healthcare network – BeaconHealth Diagnostics and in March this year raised a $3 million Pre-Series A round of financing co-led by Aruwa Capital Management and follow-on investor Newtown Partners. It also landed additional follow-on investment from Ventures Platform, one of the company’s earliest institutional investors. This new round of financing brings MDaaS Global’s total investment to date to $6.8 million.
The additional capital was to fuel the growth of the company’s proprietary technology platform, BeaconOS and to expand its healthcare network to all 36 states in Nigeria through a mix of company-owned and affiliate clinics.
BeaconOS serves as the digital backbone of MDaaS Global’s healthcare network, akin to a computer’s operating system, that optimises and connects their physical clinics, which act as the ‘hardware.’ Built on top of BeaconOS are a suite of applications designed both to streamline healthcare delivery at BeaconHealth clinics and to digitally integrate with the company’s diverse network of partner organisations.
Last year, MDaaS launched its first application, called Olewerk, for optimising diagnostic workflows, currently deployed across all of their 17 locations, and developed its first partner-facing application, Beam, which enables its corporate partners to seamlessly manage occupational health for their teams.
“Years of operating within Nigeria’s healthcare system have given us a deep understanding of its challenges and points of friction. At MDaaS Global, we’re leveraging this experience to develop technology uniquely tailored to the African healthcare experience. BeaconOS isn’t just about solving our own challenges; it’s empowering our patients and partners with solutions customised to their needs and revolutionising healthcare delivery across Africa,” said CEO Oluwasoga Oni.
The need for improved diagnostics across Africa is critical. In 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa estimated that only about 30% of health facilities in Africa have the necessary equipment to perform basic diagnostic tests, with marginalised and underserved populations being the most affected. Concurrently, the organisation identified the availability of and access to diagnostic and laboratory services as one of the key pillars to achieving universal health coverage.