Telkom customers will now have convenient and subsidised access to medical consultations through its partnership with Valentis Health, a doctor-founded healthcare service providing telemedicine.
The medical consultancy service, Dial Daktari, will give Telkom customers access to board licensed doctors, via their phones. This service will enable patients to observe physical distancing and to mitigate the risk of person-to-person infection, as stipulated by health authorities during this pandemic.
Telkom customers will access this service through a toll-free number, 0800-221-011. A care manager will take you through triage and then assign you to a doctor for a consultation. If a prescription is required, one will be issued by the doctor and will be sent directly to one of various partnering pharmacies or directly to the patient. Dial Daktari will also make referrals to specialists or to laboratories for further investigations. In emergency cases, Dial Daktari will facilitate the dispatch of an ambulance to the patient for further assessment and transfer to a hospital.
A teleconsultation will cost Telkom customers Kshs 450, payable via T-Kash Paybill Number 144563.
In addition to the phone consultations, the Valentis Health app will allow patients to track symptoms, communicate with the doctors via text and also through video consultations. With Mental Health becoming an increasing and rising concern in this time, Dial Daktari has a team of counsellors to assist patients experiencing acute stress and anxiety.
Dr Don Othoro, the Founder and CEO of Valentis Health, says: “The integration of online and offline healthcare means that our doctors are able to deliver seamless consultations, just as they would in person.”
Dr Othoro adds: “With the COVID – 19 crisis and mandatory physical distancing guidelines, patients have been asked to avoid unnecessary visits to health care facilities where they may put themselves or others at risk of infection. With this in mind, telemedicine has become an integral part of primary health care, enabling patients to seek medical attention for non COVID-medical conditions as well enquire about possible COVID symptoms.”
Mugo Kibati, Telkom Kenya’s CEO, says: “Technology will continue to play an integral part in the lives of Kenyans, more so now that it is enabling them to make the switch to conducting their affairs, virtually, from home: working from home, distance learning, virtual socialisation and now even getting to have medical consultation via phone. As a corporate citizen, we at Telkom chose to continue focusing our corporate social interventions and partnerships on areas such as these, where our core service will have direct and immediate impact, during this time.”
Kibati adds: “This partnership with Valentis Health, demonstrates the role technology can play to bridge the gap of people, physicians and health systems, enabling patients to stay at home and communicate with doctors. Specifically, the digitisation of patient details, will, perhaps, eventually allow the virtual access of patient records from any location, enabling medical staff to attend to patients brought to hospital based on this virtual data.”
Valentis Health is a healthcare firm providing general practice, wellness and counselling services to individuals and organizations. Founded in 2008, the firm’s vision is to increase access to healthcare using mobile phone technology. Through Dial Daktari, its telemedicine service, it offers medical consultations primarily through the phone and the Valentis Health app and through face-to-face, in-clinic appointments when necessary.
Dial Daktari services are focused on using multiple innovative tools for comprehensive assessment and diagnosis, to improve the health of our communities. A major problem faced by communities today is the rising costs associated with healthcare. Our services address this while allowing us to identify and manage in a timely manner, any health situations, at reduced costs, due to an affordable fee structure.
Be the first to comment