London telemedicine company Mobihealth appoints Ade Adefeko to its board of directors

LONDON-based Nigerian telemedicine company Mobihealth has appointed the vice president of agribusiness conglomerate Olam International Ade Adefeko as a member of its board of directors.

Mobihealth, which aims to revolutionise the Nigerian healthcare industry by providing specialist healthcare through the diaspora, seeks to provide a one-stop portal that gives millions Africans timely access to medical experts worldwide via video consultations from the comfort of their home. Its founder, Dr Funmi Adewara added that the company aims to also offer quality diagnostic tests, genuine medications and specialist referrals through a subscription plan that requires no out-of-pocket payment.

Excited to have Mr Adefeko on board, Dr Adewara said he would bring along his versatile and rich industry experience to contribute to the strategic leadership of the company and help position it for imminent growth. Olam is one of the world's largest suppliers of cocoa beans and products, coffee, cotton and rice.

Dr Adewara said: “As a start-up company it was vital to find individuals to fill in gaps in our knowledge and experience. We need a board of well qualified individuals in their specific areas of expertise to create a diverse board that has the right skills, experience and track record of achievement needed to drive Mobihealth in becoming the leading telehealth company across Africa and internationally.”

She noted that Mr Adefeko brings a wealth of experience in the areas of government relations, policy development, angel investing and venture capital, communications and marketing, strategy and business development. Dr Adewara said Mobihealth would change the poor narrative of healthcare leveraging the explosive mobile technology growth across the continent.

“Decrying the massive efflux of doctors and nurses from Nigeria, technology provides an opportunity to bridge the gap in shortages of doctor and convert brain drain to brain gain. A majority of our doctors are from Western countries trained to best standards of good medical practice but importantly also, Mobihealth provides Hippa-compliant platforms for African doctors in the diaspora to give back to the continent and help reduce the impact of brain drain.

"We also have doctors in Nigeria who complement our services in cases where patient need a further face-to-face evaluation. We provide a complete package of care that includes prescription, diagnostics, treatment, follow-up, home health, training and local capacity building.

"Our intervention will improve the time to diagnosis and treatment, reduce hospital congestions by 60% and limit exposure to counterfeit medicines and unqualified personnel. As we make inroads into the Nigeria market and other African countries, we need reputable and formidable people to help make this mission a reality and I look forward to working with every board member as we go into full operation,” Dr Adewara added.