SOUTH AFRICA— Quro Medical, a South Africa-based e-healthcare startup, has raised US$1.3 million from the Mineworkers Investment Company (MIC).

Founded in 2018, Quro Medical has been developing affordable and accessible Hospital at Home solutions that combine state-of-the-art hardware and software to manage acutely ill patients at home.

The Hospital at Home program from Quro provides qualifying patients with clinically appropriate and patient-centric hospital-level care in their homes.

Since launching, over 1,000 patients have been treated successfully in their homes with similar or improved levels of clinical outcomes and a better patient experience.

Quro Medical’s platform reduces the costs of healthcare delivery by leveraging real-time, data-driven clinical interventions.

Quro secured investment from the Johannesburg-based MIC, a 100% Black-owned Investment Company established in 1995 by the Mineworkers Investment Trust (MIT) to create a sustainable asset base for the benefit of mine, energy and construction workers and their dependents.

Zikho Pali, co-founder and COO of Quro Medical said at the announcement, “At Quro Medical, we are proud to be the African pioneer and leader of the Hospital at Home program… we are improving patient outcomes and reducing the burden on traditional hospital systems.”

Dr Vuyane Mhlomi, Quro Medical’s co-founder and CEO said, “Our technology-enabled solutions are designed to provide seamless, patient-centric care that puts the patient first.”

She also added that Quro would continue to leverage new cutting-edge technology and evidence-based protocols to monitor patients’ health proactively to ensure the Hospital at Home continues to strive for its goals.

In July 2021, MIC announced the launch of MIC Khulisani Ventures, a US$10 million early-stage investment vehicle targeting black-owned innovative, high-growth businesses in South Africa.

A year later, it backed South African rentals marketplace Rentoza with a US$1.3 million investment, and it has now made a similar investment into Quro Medical.

MIC impact investment manager Thato Ntseare noted, “Quro Medical presents MIC with a new and exciting track for us from an impact investment strategy point of view. While we are focused on businesses that provide technology-based solutions, this is the first health tech business funded through Khulisani Ventures.”

Quro Medical, with the support of MIC, aims to advance its technology and expand its reach, bringing about improved healthcare outcomes and reduced costs for patients and providers.

South Africa’s healthcare system ranks 49th out of 89 countries, as per the 2020 Global Healthcare Index report. Accessibility to healthcare remains a challenge in rural areas, and the public system struggles with retaining physicians.

The majority of the population, around 80%, relies on the underfunded and poorly managed public system for their healthcare, while approximately 80% of doctors serve the private system, catering primarily to the middle and upper classes.

This imbalance leads to resource shortages in the public system and a robust private system.

A study by the University of Cape Town reveals that apartheid legacies persist, contributing to healthcare inequality in post-apartheid South Africa.

While 90% of South Africans live within 7km of a public clinic, there are disparities among different racial groups, with 15% of Black African adults living more than 5km away compared to 7% of people of color and 4% of South Africans of European descent.

Proximity to public clinics correlates with income, impacting access to vital health services.

Efforts have been made to address disparities, but further progress is needed to achieve equitable healthcare access.

African innovators are taking action to overcome barriers to inclusive health, necessitating collaborative partnerships between private and public entities.

A White Paper by the World Economic Forum identifies ten common barriers to inclusive healthcare that social innovators across Africa are working to dismantle.

These barriers include weak healthcare capacity and infrastructure, limited access and affordability of quality healthcare and medicine, the economic impact of COVID-19, inequality related to COVID-19 vaccination rates, stigmatization, health literacy, digitalization and data accessibility, gender inequality, malnutrition and food insecurity, and supply chain disruptions and logistic challenges.

Inclusive innovation is crucial in addressing these barriers, and it requires concerted efforts from all stakeholders to achieve health equity in Africa.

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