SA’s CenHealth launches consumer-driven health record system

South African startup CenHealth claims to have launched the most advanced public health record system in the country, and is promising a number of new features as 2015 progresses.

CenHealth allows users to keep an electronic version of their health records, storing information from weight and height to allergies and allowing South Africans to keep a health diary of all doctor appointments.

The startup said it was looking to digitise the storing of health information in order to promote better efficiency.

“CenHealth strives to move away from a paper-based system where prescriptions, lab results and scans are scattered across files, to where you can hold all your health information in a single, secure hub online,” said Joel Ugborogho, chief executive officer (CEO) of the company.

According to Ugborogho, health record keeping has until now been out of the hands of patients, with people having to work around the convenience of healthcare providers.

“This old system of operating is out of step with today’s consumer who wants to access their information 24/7, but also wants to participate in recording their healthcare so that they don’t have to rely on memory or scrappy little notes,” he said.

CenHealth provides easy storage of X-rays, scans and other documents by allowing users to download documents to their account, reducing the risk of loss and damage.

The company is employing a freemium model where users can create a health record for free, though they then must pay a nominal monthly fee in order to access other features, such as information exchange with doctors, or to trigger certain alerts.

A a corporate health and wellness solution has also been specifically crafted for employers, who can employ the CenHealth system to underpin their health interventions, receiving feedback in real time.

“In that way, we give them the opportunity to integrate technology and devices into their wellness ecosystem without incurring huge costs,” CenHeath said.

The startup is talking to partners about bundling its offering with other health or lifestyle products in order for users to gain the full benefits of using the platform to track their health and use that data.