Baobab Circle Limited, a health digital company offering personalised health care solutions to people suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes has recorded an increase in product uptake during the Covid-19 lockdown.
The London-headquartered company which launched in Zimbabwe in 2018 also has operations in 10 countries across Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East.
The company’s products include the Afya Pap Mobile Application, Afya Pap Caregiver Module, Blood Sugar Testing and Monitoring and Blood Pressure Testing and Monitoring Meter among others.
The Afya Pap Mobile Application is a mobile application targeted at users who have smartphones.
The application engages in a personalized daily conversation with the user giving information on different exercises to do and food to eat depending on one’s health condition.
The user can test and store daily blood pressure and blood sugar results while the data can be linked to their medical practitioners.
Afya Pap mobile application is available for downloading on Google Play store, while for the smart glucose meter, the company has distributing partners such as Greenwood Pharmacy and Br Pharmacy in Bulawayo and Hertzmun in Kadoma.
CITE caught up with the company’s business development consultant, Fredrick Chisero, who said they had registered an increase in product uptake.
“There has been a rise in product usage during the Covid-19 lockdown period,” said Chisero.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has presented the organisation with new strategic objectives pivoted on contributing in the fight against the pandemic. In Zimbabwe, Baobab Circle has been working with people living with hypertension and diabetes to help them monitor and manage themselves at home, which helps reduce exposure to Covid-19 from movements during the pandemic.”
He further explained: “Our intention has been and will always be to minimise patient movements in seeking medication and check-ups due to secondary complications resulting from lack of managing the conditions.”
Chisero said they had distributed more than 100 glucose meters in Harare,
Chitungwiza and Domboshava for free to help the people identified through the Diabetes Association of Zimbabwe (DAZ).
“However, it has come to light that all provinces have quite a number of people who require our assistance through the services we offer and we, therefore, intend to scale-up our distribution efforts and assist as many people we can,” he added.
