Kenyan startup Ilara Health has launched a readiness package that will allow peri-urban clinics and pharmacies to be the first line of defence against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ilara Health, which provides affordable diagnostic equipment to patients and healthcare providers in peri-urban areas, secured a seed funding round in August of last year to help it scale its offering.
However, in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the startup has reacted by launching a readiness package for clinics and pharmacies outside of cities and towns. This package includes a self-assessment chatbot and clinic-based triage tools for symptom checking, as well as digital symptom checkers including a COVID-19 health assessment tool and clinical decision support software.
The readiness package is designed to prepare small first-stop health facilities to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic through better point of care diagnostic equipment and tools for improved clinical decision support and guidelines for self-care. It will also alleviate part of the burden on the national public hospital infrastructure by helping manage patient flow and promoting information transfer to minimize alarm in these peri-urban areas.
“Our Ilara Health COVID-19 readiness package is focused on protecting and preparing the small clinics we work with in usually forgotten areas, such as the peri-urban communities. Our accessible point of care systems can identify those patients with underlying conditions who are most susceptible to serious COVID-19 complications and can play a crucial role in patient triage at the primary care level,” said Emilian Popa, chief executive officer (CEO) and co-founder of Ilara Health.
“As we have seen across the world, having an effective first line of defence can be a very effective tool for flattening the curve of COVID-19 cases. Our readiness package is a fast, safe and practical solution to this epidemic that can be managed locally relieving pressure from national facilities who would struggle to cope under sustained pressure.”
