Ugandan young entrepreneurs Douglas Smith, Mercy Ashaba, Emmanuel Twesigye and Danson Nahabwe teamed up to launch Peleyta Health – a healthtech startup on a mission to help uninsured low and middle income earners in Uganda prepare for and afford quality healthcare anywhere at all times through their digital healthcare micro savings and a lending platform.
So, these young entrepreneurs have tried to answer a question we are yet to find out. And what is that question? Well, In a country where majority struggle with high pocket expenditure for healthcare and insurance penetration standing at only 1% leaving over 42 million Ugandans un-insured,
the four young entrepreneurs believe this the most painful problem to solve.
“Over 40 million Ugandans are caught off guard due to unpreparedness to meet medical
bills” says Emmanuel Twesigye a passionate young entrepreneur with massive experience in the credit industry and also cofounder/CEO at Everlend
Where does Peleyta Health derive its motivation from?
In 2021, the Daily Monitor newspaper ran a story of a pregnant woman Anita Mushieimana who walked to Kitwe Health Centre IV (Ntungamo district) to give birth, upon reaching at the health
centre, she delivered at the gate because she failed to pay UGX 50,000 to let her into
the delivery Ward.
“Our belief is that No one should struggle financially to receive healthcare.” says Douglas team leader at Peleyta Health who also runs a very successful startup Sportrise and with a great experience in the healthcare industry.
Uganda is a country with a population of over 45 million people, and it is the only country in East Africa without a National Healthcare insurance scheme. Peleyta Health enables the uninsured low and middle income earners to save as low as UGx500/= cumulatively dedicated for healthcare.
“With Peleyta Health, you can use your saved funds to clear medical bills or buy medicine in our registered healthcare facilities. Your saved funds can also earn interest. And in situations where a medical bill is larger than your saved funds, we can top up for you and you Pe-ley-ta(Pay later) in installments.” explains MacDanson the Chief Technology Officer at Peleyta.
MacDanson is also known for developing popular Clinic/Hospital information management software – Clinic Plus with his team at Nugsoft Technologies helping thousands of clinics and hospitals digitize their operations.
At the moment, Peleyta services can be accessed on their website with internet and the team looks forward to extending their services off internet with mobile money in the near future. Peleyta Health also enables their users to connect instantly with a 24×7 specialist or choose to video visit a particular doctor.
“We also have have an option where you can start an instant consultation within 2 minutes or do video consultation with a doctor at a scheduled time. You can also get a valid digital prescription and a 7-day, free follow-up for further clarifications.” Explains further Dr. Mercy Ashaba a speech therapist at Case Clinic Kampala and also running a successful startup Mimona.
Comments about Peleyta:-
“First of all, thanks for coming up with this brilliant idea. I found the registration process quite easy as the prompts are direct. Peleyta is a good one”- Agaba Joakim, Medical intern at Entebbe Referral Hospital chirps.
“This is a powerful initiative. I am currently saving 10000/= weekly for my healthcare. It
is a great one!” quips Mable Twesiime, a Peleyta user.
“Its seems like a great idea to establish a health insurance system that works in your setting and for the people in your community. I know that would be incredibly beneficial in facing unexpected health care costs. I know in the past there has been a conversation about a national health insurance scheme. That would also be great to see.” Geren Stone, MD, DTM&H Director, Global Medicine Program MGH Global Health Division of General Medicine, Dept of Medicine Massachusetts General Hospital
