The transaction will see Helium’s cutting-edge technology lead the HealthTech revolution in MEA
Helium is delivering on its strategy to expand in Africa first, and then expand more widely in emerging markets
Lagos, Nigeria, 11 November 2021 – Helium Health (“Helium”), the leading healthcare technology
provider in Africa, is delighted to announce it has completed the acquisition of Meddy Inc., the GCC-
based doctor booking platform, which has operations in Qatar and the U.A.E.
Helium is building the digital infrastructure to power world-class healthcare services, across Africa and the Middle East. The transaction is in line with Helium’s strategy to expand in Africa first – where the company is present in Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Senegal, Kenya, and Uganda and then move into wider emerging markets.
Healthcare in the GCC is set to grow rapidly. Investment in digital infrastructure will account for 30
percent of healthcare investment in the region between 2023 to 2030.
Meddy’s platform and outstanding management team complement Helium’s business model and ideally positions Helium to service the GCC healthcare market. Meddy’s Chief Executive Officer – Haris Aghadi, and Chief Operating Officer – Abed Alkarim Khattab, will join Helium’s leadership team and play integral roles in Helium’s execution of its GCC strategy and operations.
The transaction will see Helium deploy its Electronic Medical Records (EMR) technology and healthcare financial solutions across the GCC healthcare market. Whilst the GCC’s healthcare market is more mature than Africa’s and has a higher technology penetration, the technology present in the region is more siloed. All regional stakeholders will benefit from Helium’s robust and interconnected suite of Digital Health products.
These products include healthcare provider management (via Helium EMR), patient-provider and revenue cycle management platforms (via HeliumDoc), and data analytics services.
Adegoke Olubusi, Chief Executive Officer of Helium Health, said:
“We are delighted to complete this transaction which is perfect for Helium Health. Our business model has primarily been robust organic growth, but we always remain open to strategic acquisition opportunities. Meddy is an ideal complement to our existing business model; the right company, in the right location, at the right time.
“We will be leading the HealthTech revolution in MEA. In Qatar, UAE and KSA, a great market opportunity exists to work with care providers to improve patient interaction, make healthcare data more interoperable, and to improve revenue cycle management. I am excited to welcome Haris and his team to the Helium Health family and look forward to many years of fruitful collaboration.”
Haris Aghadi, Chief Executive Officer of Meddy Inc., commented:
“Joining Helium is a perfect next chapter for Meddy as it enhances our mission to help patients make
informed health decisions. Our goal has always been to provide technology to all the stakeholders across the value chain and joining forces gets us there faster.
“There is a strong synergy between our products, teams and markets. Combining Meddy’s marketing
solutions with Helium’s clinical solutions will add tremendous value to our customers and transform
healthcare in the Middle East and Africa.”
Founded in 2016, Helium uses proprietary technology and data to empower healthcare providers to
make better decisions, operate more efficiently, and improve patient outcomes. Wider healthcare
stakeholders also benefit from Helium’s data-driven insights, leading to optimum resource allocation and oversight.
Helium has grown rapidly to date in Africa, solving the continent’s problems of fragmented markets,
paper-based systems and unreliable data. It has signed 500+ healthcare facilities, 7,000+ medical
professionals and facilitates 300,000+ patient visits each month. Helium’s customers also include the
most reputable private & public healthcare institutions in West Africa.
Helium is led by a brilliant and talented management team with many years of combined experience in technology and healthcare. Chief Executive Officer and co-founder, Goke Olubusi, formerly of Goldman Sachs, is one of Africa’s most innovative entrepreneurs and has received multiple awards from the likes of Chevron, Northrop Grumman, Maryland State, Lockheed Martin and others.
Helium’s co-founders include Dimeji Sofowora – Chief Financial Officer, and formerly of Goldman Sachs, and Tito Ovia – Head of Public Sector Growth, who has assisted organizations such as Orbis and Lagos State AIDS Control Agency to help people access better quality healthcare.
The transaction is not subject to any further regulatory clearances.
About Helium Health
- Helium Health is building the digital infrastructure to power world-class healthcare services across
emerging markets. Its mission is to accelerate Africa’s transition to a technology and data-driven healthcare sector.
- Helium Health is leveraging the vast amounts of data it gathers via its solutions to empower
healthcare providers to run more efficiently and make better decisions with actionable data. Public health stakeholders will also be empowered with detailed insights into health-related trends to enable proper resource allocation and oversight.
- Founded in 2016 with its flagship product, Helium Health EHR, a cloud-based/offline health records and hospital management (EHR/HMIS) solution that is simple, robust, easy-to-adopt, highly customizable and built around the peculiarities of emerging markets.
- Helium Health is the premier Health Tech Company in Africa, providing a suite of cutting-edge
technology solutions for all healthcare stakeholders in emerging markets. The solutions include
healthcare financial products HeliumPay (a billing and payments solution that will help healthcare facilities accept payments from multiple sources) and HeliumCredit (a quick and easy way for
hospitals to access instant, collateral-free loans).
- The company’s vision to power Africa’s healthcare technology necessitated rapid expansion to cover the region. Helium Health is helping 5,000 medical professionals to provide care to over 300,000+ patients monthly across emerging markets.
- To date, Helium Health has raised over $12 million in funding from leading global investors and
partners such as: Global Ventures / Draper Associates / Ycombinator and Tencent
About Meddy Inc.
- Founded in 2015, Meddy Inc., is a doctor booking platform that operates in Qatar and the U.A.E., and helps patients find the best doctors and book appointments.
- For clinics, Meddy provides a suite of products, including a telemedicine solution, which ensures the optimal management of bookings, video consultations, patient reviews and online payment
collections.
- Meddy also helps clinics improve their online presence and attract new patients.
- As of November 2021, Meddy has facilitated more than 200,000 bookings, enabling healthcare
providers generate approximately $130 million in billings. Meddy works with over 150 top private
healthcare providers in Qatar and the UAE.
- Meddy has raised a total of $1.8 million from Qatar Science & Technology Park, 500 Startups, 212, Kasamar Holdings and other angels.
