How Nigerian Health Tech Startup Sonocare is Leveraging on Technology to Curb Maternal and Infant Mortality

Nigerian health tech start-up Sonocare has launched leveraging on innovative technology and health professionals to curb the menace of maternal and infant mortality in Sub-Sahara Africa by delivering conveniently accessible and affordable diagnostic medical services directly at points of need. In an interview with Innovation Village, the CEO of SonoCare, Dr. Enokela Moses gives an insight into SonoCare’s mission, the poignant encounter that inspired the setting up of SonoCare and shares his take on the growth and challenges of the health-focused start-ups in the Nigeria Start-up ecosystem.

Can we meet the Founder of SonoCare?

My name is Dr. Enokela Moses. I hail from Benue state. I am the founder and CEO at SonoCare. I am an ardent believer in entrepreneurship for social change. I have held a few leadership roles which I quit to start SonoCare, my life’s most difficult decision yet most fulfilling effort.

What is SonoCare all about and what does it have to offer?

SonoCare is health tech start-up providing services spanning the spectrum of women’s health  and offering both fixed site and mobile solutions, SonoCare provides cost-efficient programs scaled to the needs of hospitals, satellite clinics, health care providers like physicians and midwives, birthing centres, assisted living facilities as well as corporate offices using a combination of the most advanced imaging systems and highly trained, registered technologists as sonographers by leveraging technology and innovation in an ambitious effort to address the scourge of maternal and infant mortality in Sub-Sahara Africa by delivering conveniently accessible and affordable diagnostic medical services directly at points of need

What motivated the creation up of SonoCare ?

I will never forget her; her name was Hope. Several years ago, Mrs. Hope Okoro died on the delivery bed of a rural hospital where I worked. Though we tried desperately, we couldn’t save her. She died along with her unborn infant and she died because nobody knew her placenta was obstructing her birth passage and she never had an ultrasound examination in the entire course of her pregnancy and she never had one because she couldn’t afford it or the associated costs. Most rural women never get to know they have high-risk pregnancies for similar reasons. This is why 99% of maternal deaths occur in rural communities in developing countries like Nigeria. Like Hope, hundreds of thousands of women will continue to lose their lives every year to preventable pregnancy complications if nothing is done. This is our motivation and the time to do something is now

What is unique about the health services SonoCare has to offer?

Aside from being the first to deliver diagnostic medical (imaging) services at points of care and on-demand, SonoCare is a pioneer in mobile diagnostic imaging in Nigeria and the first to deploy a web/mobile resource for patient information transmission and inter-disciplinary collaboration.

How can prospective clients access your health solutions?

The client can get on board through our numerous partners or directly. Our mobile app also enhances ease of access as users can schedule service appointments or request for live video or real-time chat consultation sessions with our doctors

What has the traction been like since its launch?

SonoCare operates a B2B2C model and charges a fee per transaction as well as plans for in-app fees and subscriptions when our app is fully deployed. At this time SonoCare is still in the process of growth and scale when we are investing ourselves in meeting the financial obligations that come with growth. So we cannot categorically say we have reached profitability but we have been able to cover our costs from sales revenue.

What were the challenges encountered and achievements recorded so far since SonoCare launched?

Our biggest challenge was raising the capital to get off the ground. But that challenge was a huge blessing in disguise. When we had no funding, I started with personal funds and the little resources at my disposal. This period helped me begin to test my original idea with friends, family and a few old patients. During this period I discovered so many loopholes in my business model and the idea. Then came the Tony Elumelu Foundation grant which helped me improve my idea and carry out my first pilot on a bigger scale. But in truth, over time I have had to change the idea and business model almost entirely while seeking funding. What SonoCare is today is 90% different from what it was, and we improved because we faced those challenges and difficulties. To date, SonoCare has reached 27,000 women in 19 rural communities in Nigeria impacting approximately 135,000 lives and helping 27,000 families save $702,000 in costs that would have prevented them from getting life-saving help. Recently we secured an impact investment funding from America’s GMC coLabs which will help us deploy scale our operations and help us reach 200,000 women with live-saving care services in about 50 under-served rural locations.

From your point of view how would rate the Nigerian startup ecosystem, particularly the health-focused ones and in what areas do you think this ecosystem needs support?

The Nigerian startup ecosystem has grown so much that the atmosphere is becoming insanely too competitive. Unfortunately, the healthcare sector is quite a different one for some reasons. For one, quite a few investors are interested in investing in health-focused startups and there are just too few healthcare focused opportunities. Then, you might face a lot of huddles with policies and regulations. And, most importantly, ideas don’t come in so handy. But it’s a great sector if you have a good knowledge of it and you can create relationships between problems and solutions.

What advice do you have for prospective African entrepreneurs out there?

Getting financing is the most difficult part of starting a business. But don’t wait till you have the funds to start. Develop your ideas over time, talk to people and validate your ideas. Start small with whatever you have or can get, and never despise little beginnings. Take advantage of opportunities that spring up every day and join relevant networking groups. Never be discouraged at rejection when trying to sell your ideas to funders or investors. Every defeat is an opportunity for improvement. I got rejected 58 times in 2018 alone before I got my biggest break. It is also important to seek mentorship from experienced professionals who can help you get to improve on your ideas and also help with critical networks.

What are the future plans for SonoCare?

SonoCare’s future plans are to scale our operations across the entire sub-Sahara Africa. We hope to grow presence and impact more lives in the most disadvantaged rural communities, becomes one of Africa’s largest healthcare enterprises and achieve exponential financial and sales growth.