BIMA Ghana, the leading provider of mobile delivered health and insurance products in the country, won the West African Clinical Alliance Award (WACAA) in the category “leading telemedicine provider”.

The prestigious event took place on August 25th at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra, honoring innovative players in the healthcare industry. The West African Clinical Alliance recognized BIMA for its pioneering work in improving access to quality healthcare through the use of mobile technology.

According to the OECD, there is at most 1 qualified physician per 10,000 people in Ghana, and the combination of soaring population and rising urbanization is driving higher demand for health care services, particularly as non-communicable disease such as diabetes and hypertension continue to rise. In Ghana it is common for patients to travel considerable distances or sacrifice hours waiting in a clinic before seeing a doctor.

This, along with the high cost of consultations, often prevent people from seeking medical help. In this context, telemedicine provides an opportunity to relieve the burden on the hospital system and to provide a safe and confidential way for citizens to obtain medical advice, wherever they are in the country.

Launched in 2015, BIMA Doctor is a pioneer of the telemedicine industry in Ghana and is the first and currently only licensed provider in the country. It began as a pure medical advisory service, allowing subscribers to access unlimited consultations with licensed medical practitioners over the phone for only GHC 3 monthly.

In the past 3 years, the service has evolved into a full-fledged telemedicine service, offering access to both generalists and specialists, e-prescriptions via SMS as well as a laboratory referral service providing discounts to subscribers. Just recently, BIMA Doctor has enrolled all customers onto a Health Coaching Programme delivering targeted health content via SMS and recorded voice messages.

Christina Tuemmers, mHealth Division Manager, explains “We are honored that our contribution to improving access to affordable and quality health care has been recognized. The award is a major step in recognizing telemedicine as a standalone heath service”. Dr. David Sunu, Chief Medical Officer of BIMA Doctor, adds ”BIMA is at the forefront of legitimate telemedicine practice in Ghana. This award is a confirmation of our high clinical standards and customer service that underpin the delivery of the BIMA Doctor Service”.

Damien Gueroult, Country Manager, reveals “We believe that the roaring mobile penetration and increasing data usage in Ghana will create a vast opportunity to reach the mass-market who has previously been excluded from health services and in particular preventive care. Just next month we will launch the BIMA Doctor mobile App which will offer additional value added services to our customers”.

The BIMA Doctor App will be launched in September of this year through which subscriber can access and manage their medical records, locate the nearest health facility and talk to the BIMA Doctor medical team by phone or chat.

About BIMA

BIMA (Milvik Ghana Ltd) uses mobile technology to deliver affordable insurance and health products to underserved customers in emerging markets who cannot access these vital products through traditional channels.

BIMA’s technology platform creates a paperless experience and enables scale, while its agent force distributes products and provides customer education. This tech-enabled approach is the key to BIMA’s growth, reaching 26 million customers in 15 markets across Africa, Asia and Latin America.

BIMA Ghana launched its operations in 2010 with the mobile operator Tigo (now AirtelTigo). Through this partnership, BIMA provides 1,9 million Ghanaians with insurance. In 2014, BIMA also launched own-branded insurance products to widen access to all Ghanaian families.

BIMA offers life, hospital and accident insurance policies underwritten by Prudential Life, and the BIMA Doctor service, providing medical advice over the phone.

BIMA’s mission is to provide affordable, easy-to-use and accessible insurance and health services to under-served families to protect them against unforeseen circumstances.