Babyl, Britam Insurance Rwanda partner to boost healthcare access through telemedicine

Babyl, a digital medical consultation company in Rwanda, on September 12 launched a strategic partnership with Britam Insurance Rwanda, aiming to drive accessibility to healthcare in Rwanda through telemedicine. The partnership allows Britam customers to receive prescription and book for laboratory tests where necessary, revolutionising the entire process. Individuals from all over the country will also be allowed to book for medical consultations and speak to clinicians over the phone from the comfort of their homes or offices. According to Shivon Byamukama, Managing Director of Babyl Rwanda, the launch of the partnership follows a successful implementation of a 12-month pilot project where Britam medical insurance clients were introduced to the telemedicine service and sensitised on the benefits of digital healthcare. Patients dialed *811# and were given prompt instructions to access Babyl services, Dr. Byamukama said. She noted that Babyl clinicians now handle over 3,500 consultations per day, and since they started in 2016, the firm has received more than 2.9 million appointments and registered over 2.5 million users. “So far, we have been partnering with RAMA and Mutuelle de Sante and now we are extending the partnership to private insurance, which is where Britam comes in,” she continued. “This partnership with Britam gives an opportunity to all that are insured by Britam to use our services . We look forward to onboarding more insurance companies and ensuring all Rwandans have access to a doctor from wherever they are for early engagement, preventative care and quick access to medical practitioners.” Byamukama believes the majority of Britam’s customers are smartphone users – something which aligns with one of Babyl’s goals of increasing the number of customers who use smartphones so that in time, they can have an app to help them access telemedicine services. Andrew Kulayige, the CEO of Britam Rwanda Insurance said that both Britam and Babyl are focused on putting their customers at the center of everything they do, and thus it is timely for their customers to access the services Babyl offers. “Britam is making intentional and concentrated efforts to improve the experience of our customers by easing the “how” of accessing our services,” he said. “This partnership is a step in the right direction towards not only achieving the goals of our 2021-2025 strategy, one centered on customer centric transformation, but also supporting Rwandans access to quality healthcare and accessing it quickly. Insurance will be a key enabler of this and we are glad to be pioneering the solution with Babyl.” The agreement between the two firms will run for a year with a possibility of being renewed according to feedback from customers. The price point is Rwf 5,000, and patients will be charged according to their co-pay plans. Babyl has a helpline service (8111) that is open from Monday to Saturday, 7am to 7pm that handles any inquiries and assists customers in issues ranging from subscription, payment and information on partner pharmacies and laboratories. In 2020, Babyl signed a 10-year partnership with the Government of Rwanda to develop a new healthcare delivery model of ‘Digital-First Integrated Care’, where all Rwandans would be able to gain access to qualified doctors and nurses through their mobile phone.

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Babyl, Britam Insurance Rwanda partner to boost healthcare access through telemedicine