In a country where the doctor to patient ratio is 1:4000 as against the WHO recommendation of 1:600 and health care facilities are inadequate, there exist a large gap to be filled. In the face of inadequate health facilities and insufficient doctors, a bridge is needed to fill the gap and that bridge is being provided by a mobile/ web app called Kangpe.
Kangpe is a web/mobile platform for accessing valuable health services at a fee. It was launched in Nigeria in 2016 and the brains behind this wonderful app are three friends; Femi Kuti, Ope Olumeken, and Matthew Mayaki. Kangpe currently is operating in three different countries; Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya and has over sixty thousand (60,000) subscribers.
Kangpe has lots of interesting features that makes the client’s use of the app easy and fulfilling. Kangpe provides a medium for asking health related questions and get answered. All a client needs to do is just type in his /her question on the web page or mobile app. A list of similar questions asked by other users in the past pops up and the user has the liberty of scrolling through the list and viewing the answers that were given before he or she submits the question. On submission, the client would need to wait for a minimum of 10 minutes for his/her questions to be answered through a link containing the answers that would be sent to his/her phone. Kangpe offers a 24-hour free service of this feature to first clients meaning, even without money still caters for the clients need at least for once.
Kangpe has a blog feature where the user can read educative articles on different health issues. Another exciting feature on Kangpe is the health tips of the day and deals of the day. With Kangpe, the user can book an appointment with a healthcare specialist at a cost or get referred for further treatment. In order to cater for everyone, Kangpe has come up with a monthly payment plan of 1,500naira for the users in order to make it affordable to all.
Kangpe might not totally eliminate visit to hospitals but it will definitely reduce the waiting time at the hospitals as people with minor illness can get medical advice from the comfort of their homes. With Kangpe, more Nigerians will have access to affordable healthcare in years to come.
