By Angela Onwuzoo
In less than three months after going live, MeCure SmartBuy – a complete healthcare mobile app that offers free tele-consultation with doctors along with home delivery of medicines and healthcare products anywhere in Lagos, has clocked more than 34,000 registrations already.
As the numbers suggest, the app which is available on both Android and iOS smartphones is generating massive interest from consumers in Lagos as it aims to provide easy access to healthcare, which has been a big pain point for Nigerians.
Launched on 25th March this year, MeCure SmartBuy offers tele-consultations with its panel of doctors completely free of cost.
Giving insight into the benefits of the technology in meeting the healthcare needs of the people, Chief Medical Officer at the company, Dr. Adekunle Megbuwawon, said: “Our vision with SmartBuy is to provide access to primary healthcare services in the most affordable and convenient way possible.
“Traditionally, access to top quality doctors has been the very first problem for all of us. We are resolving this by removing barriers using technology.”
According to him, “If you are sick today, just download the app and book a tele-consultation with our panel of qualified doctors.”
“They will give you a call, assess your health condition and advise on the way forward. In case a physical examination is needed, they will refer you to a qualified doctor closest to you.
For simple ailments that can be treated with over-the-counter medication, consumers can get it home delivered within 2-3 hours anywhere in Lagos”, Megbuwawon said.
He noted that with over 1000 tele-consultations booked and more than 1200 medicine orders already placed by users on the platform, “the traction it has gathered is very interesting indeed.”
Also speaking, Chief Technology Officer at MeCure SmartBuy, Adil Shaikh, expressed satisfaction over the response.
“To be honest, we did not expect this kind of interest at such an early stage. It is quite overwhelming considering the fact that we have not spent a Naira yet on marketing the product.
“All credit goes to our team of doctors, in-house pharmacists and delivery agents who are working very hard to ensure quality consultation is provided and the required medicines are delivered within the shortest possible timeframe to our customers”, he said.
Apart from free doctor tele-consultations, he said the app also offers heavy discounts on almost all medicines and even daily essential healthcare products.
He also said that users receive incentives for making purchases on the app in the form of Naira credits which they can use for utility services such as mobile recharges, electricity bill payments and a host of other services.
“These incentives seem to be very lucrative to users as well and have helped grow the user base in a very short span.
The app is easily available through their website and users can also search for “MeCure SmartBuy” on the Android and iOS stores through their phone to download it.
“The app uses a geo-fence to only allows registrations from Lagos at the moment, however a top company executive confirms that they intend to roll out the service to most parts of Nigeria in a phased manner to ensure a smooth and consistent customer experience”, he
added.
