Waspito brings health care to Francophone Africa - now building brick-and-mortar clinics

From telehealth, the startup is expanding offline to make health care more accessible

Waspito, a telehealth startup in Cameroon, has raised $2.5 million in extended seed funding as it grows its online network of physicians and offline mini-clinics.

Investors in the round were DP World via Newtown Partners in South Africa, early-stage Africa investors Saviu Ventures, health care backer AAIC Investment, Axian Venture Capital, and Health54, a VC vehicle of CFAO Group.

Waspito aims to deliver quality healthcare services and positions itself as Africa’s largest online network of doctors, with help instantly accessible to the underserved communities. The platform offers online video consultations with general physicians, ophthalmologists, neurologists, orthopedists, cardiac surgeons, and dentists.

Patients can talk to a doctor one-on-one, get information on health-related topics and participate in a Q&A with doctors, as well as read reviews made by other patients. Anonymous disease support groups are also accessible through Waspito.

The platform has partnered with some hospitals, and it’s actively inviting doctors in Africa to join its network and make their services available to patients online while also making extra earnings.

In addition to connecting with millions of Francophone Africans needing medical services, doctors get digital records management and appointment organizing on the platform. Doctors are also invited to share content and participate in discussion forums, growing their professional network.

Waspito can also direct patients to the nearest laboratories. Lab owners and managers are also welcomed to add their services into the network. Some services are deliverable – lab technicians can come to the patients to collect basic samples, and medications can be delivered as well.

The latest funding brought the total raised by Waspito to $5.2 million this year. With the new capital, the three-year-old company hopes to grow further into becoming a one-stop shop for healthcare services, as Waspito founder and CEO, Jean Lobe Lobe, told TechCrunch.

As cited by TechCrunch, Waspito now counts 650,000 users and 950 doctors in its network, with 60,000 consultations accomplished. Yet the company is also trying to reach more patients in-person, building mini-clinics in Ivory Coast. This would make healthcare accessible to the population in Africa who do not have access to internet in their homes.

“This is a formidable milestone to us and the whole tech ecosystem in Francophone Africa. It is a much needed validation by the market and hopefully inspiration to other founders to keep going,” Lobe commented on the new funding in a post last week.

Image: Waspito