The COVID-19 pandemic has placed the importance of cutting-edge technology in the delivery of healthcare in sharp relief, as institutions and enterprises embrace new systems and models to develop future-proof solutions. It is inevitable, with an ever-increasing range of innovative products and services, that healthcare will become a digital-first industry.
Having collaborated on pioneering COVID-19 screening, telehealth and other digital solutions over the past few years, healthcare provider Netcare and digital innovation enterprise A2D24 are coming together to lead the charge.
Transformational healthtech solutions to deliver person centred care
Netcare Digital brings together 24 years of healthcare experience and industry-leading digital innovation. The new joint venture aims to produce transformational healthtech solutions to deliver outstanding person centred care. It is seen as a platform for Netcare to harness its expertise beyond brick-and-mortar facilities and make an impact on local, continental and global arenas.
The duo’s past collaboration has already borne rich fruit.
Having handled over 11 million screenings and packaged the solution to other healthcare providers, Netcare COVID-19 support systems are being primed for further expansion. Netcare VirtualCare, a telehealth platform for virtual doctor consults, was a runner-up in the corporate category of the prestigious BCX Digital Innovation Awards for 2020. The platform, which offers patients greater choice, safety and easier access to care, has also experienced rapid growth.
Other successful initiatives include a chronic disease management chat application, and an occupational health and disease management platform for large-scale employers.
Netcare Group CIO Travis Dewing, who is taking the reins as CEO of Netcare Digital, is delighted by the earlier successes of the new partnership. “Although it is still early days, I’m exceptionally pleased with the impressive progress the team has made to date. It bodes well for the future – a future in which we are confident of contributing to transformative interventions not only on the local, but also the global healthcare stage.”
Established in 1996, Netcare operates the largest private hospital, primary healthcare, emergency medical services, renal care, and mental health networks in South Africa. The listed company, which has attracted a number of plaudits over the years, employs more than 20 000 staff members.
Long-term commitment to digital technologies
The establishment of Netcare Digital is fully aligned with the company’s long-term commitment to accelerate digital technologies to improve quality of care and patient experience across its businesses.
COO of the new venture, A2D24 head Muhammad Simjee, shared Dewing’s sentiments, adding that the relationship with Netcare has been a catalyst for his tech company. “By leveraging Netcare’s vast experience in healthcare, A2D24 has been able to scale its products and services 10 times faster through the collaboration. With our streamlined design processes, we’re bringing products to market faster than ever before. Netcare Digital’s establishment represents a landmark moment in South African healthcare.”
Digital innovation enterprise A2D24 specialises in using technology to solve tough socio-economic challenges.
A2D24, Africa’s first AWS Advanced Partner, has been instrumental in deploying the cutting-edge technologies, including serverless cloud computing, elastic search based analytics and chat bot integrations behind the success of Netcare Digital’s projects.
Netcare digital growth areas
Having identified telehealth and practice management as areas ripe for disruption, Netcare and A2D24 launched exciting products in these segments. The Netcare Digital team will continue to work tirelessly to refine and enhance them.
The South African rollout of these products is already well underway, with more than 60 sites across all nine provinces equipped with the VirtualCare solution and more than 70 occupational health sites going live with practice management.
But this is merely the start. Netcare Digital has set its sights on further local expansion followed by a full international deployment.
With Netcare and A2D24 working in tandem, the possibilities are endless for healthcare technology to change the face of the sector, and further shake-ups can be expected in the near future.
Ends
Find out more about Netcare Digital and its growing product offering or get in touch by visiting www.netcare.digital
To find out more about the services offered through Netcare hospitals and other of the Group’s facilities, please visit www.netcare.co.za or contact the Netcare customer service centre either by email at [email protected] or phone 0860 NETCARE (0860 638 2273). Note that the centre operates Mondays to Fridays from 08:00 to 16:00.
For more information on this media release, please contact MNA at the contact details listed below:
Issued by: MNA on behalf of Netcare
Contact: Martina Nicholson, Meggan Saville, Estene Lotriet-Vorster or Clementine Forsthofer
Telephone: (011) 469 3016
Email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected]