Female-led digital health and wellness clinic Zoie Health has launched an online contraceptive service available to women countrywide. Run b...
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Female-led digital health and wellness clinic Zoie Health has launched an online contraceptive service available to women countrywide.
Run by cousins Dr Nonhlanhla Sitole, 37, and Thato Schermer, 31, the application called MyContraceptive allows women to speak to a doctor specifically for contraceptives and order them online without going in for physical consultations.This is an add-on service after launching an online health centre last year. The duo based in Johannesburg has in the past month won two international awards.
Last month, their business won top prize at the HBS Africa Business Club New Venture Competition 2022 in Boston, US. They also won the grand prize at the Stanford Africa Pitch Competition held in California which will incubate their start-up.
“It was quite a pleasant surprise for us to win these awards so early in our start-up journey and we were the first female founding teams to win. It just reiterated that people really need these services,” said Schermer.
The women launched the health clinic last year after they both had bad experiences with a doctor. Consultations for contraceptives on this platform are from R250 and monthly contraceptive delivery costs about R200 depending on the type of contraceptive.
To compare, gynaecological consultations often cost from R850 upwards.
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| MyContraceptive: Advice, Contraceptives Now Online in South Africa |
“A harrowing expense at the OB-GYN's [obstetrician-gynecologist's] office for me, and a season of post-partum depression for Nonhlanhla, as well as countless anecdotes from friends, colleagues and families, helped us understand how widespread and severe this problem [bad experiences] was and the opportunity to use technology to help solve the problem for millions of women,” said Schermer.
“We realised that this issue didn't just apply to us, but it applied to so many other women in South Africa.” They believe their success was also fast-tracked by the Covid-19 pandemic which created a digital boom in SA and the world.
With an approved insurance plan, a person may be able to get their birth control for free. Without insurance, a person pays $15 dollars for any of the birth control options.
All customers, including those with valid prescriptions, need to take a Nurx medical questionnaire. Once the company approves this, a person can order a single delivery or sign up for automatic refills.
Hers provides products and services marketed for women’s health and wellness. Customers can purchase several types of birth control pills.
The plans start at $12 a month, regardless of whether a person has insurance. People with insurance may prefer to opt for other retailers. A person can order one or more months of pills, and recurring refills are available.
Customers need approval from a Hers online doctor before they can place an order. This medical consultation is free and involves filling out a questionnaire.
Lemonaid offers a range of medical treatments and services, from primary care video consultations to hair loss medications. It provides 3-month supplies of the birth control pill, and a person can sign up for automatic refills.
To order, a person needs a yearly consultation that costs $25. The price of the pills depends on a person’s insurance status and plan. Once an order is approved, it arrives in 3–4 days, the company says.
SimpleHealth provides the ring, patch, and pill. It allows for automatic renewals every 3 months and offers free shipping. Like other companies, it requires a medical consultation. And people with insurance may not need to pay for their birth control.
The SimpleHealth website also has guides about birth control and fertility. - SowetanLive/Online Sources
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