BOOKED UP

FODHIL BENTURQUIA'S DUBAI-BASED DOCTOR APPOINTMENT BOOKING PLATFORM OKADOC IS FORAYING INTO TELEMEDICINE AS THE LOCAL HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY EMBRACES NEW TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS.

Of the many changes brought by COVID19, the growth of telemedicine has arguably been one of the most vital. While those on the frontline have relied on technology to monitor the virus, lockdowns during the pandemic increased the need for routine care to be delivered remotely—and industry players and countries rushed to respond.

In the Middle East, things quickly became virtual. In April, one Dubai-based startup, Okadoc—an up and coming online doctor appointment booking platform—launched its new telemedicine service for patients in the U.A.E. months earlier than planned, offering access to video consultation, online chats and document exchanges. It was a move directly influenced by COVID-19. “From what we see, video consultation is definitely happening, it’s growing,” says Fodhil Benturquia, Okadoc’s CEO. “There are more and more doctors and healthcare providers who want it.”

For Benturquia—who founded Okadoc in 2018 after leaving his role as Group CEO of online retailer Noon—the launch of telemedicine came ahead of schedule. But he was ready to take action, thanks to Okadoc’s $10 million Series A round closed in February 2020, from backers including Abu Dhabi Investment Office and Ithmar Capital Partners. It was a notable round for a regional health-tech startup.

Some of those funds were already intended to help Okadoc introduce telemedicine, which would enable doctors to offer follow-up appointments, pre-consultations and second opinions through video consultation. But that move wasn’t planned until the second half of 2020. As COVID-19 emerged, the startup only had a basic version of the service ready.

It was obvious Okadoc needed to alter its plans, says Benturquia. It sped up development and got regulatory approval, managing to launch teleconsultations about a month after lockdowns started. That gave patients access to more than 400 doctors, a network underpinned by 38 healthcare providers, including Emirates Hospitals & Clinics, HealthPlus Network of Specialty Centers, and Moorfields Eye Hospital Abu Dhabi, among others.

Previously, Benturquia expected it would take five to ten years for telemedicine to go mainstream. “I think we’ve just gained two to three years in terms of adoption, from both healthcare providers as well as patients,” he says. One partner, Medcare, recently conducted a review of the telemedicine solution to gauge progress after several months of use. “It was really heartwarming to see the exponential growth in patient utilization, in accessing their service needs,” says Andre Daoud, Group CEO at Medcare Hospitals & Medical Centres. “Finding the right partner, in this case Okadoc, that shares the same passion in delivering smart and user-friendly solutions, is instrumental for the success of such initiatives.”

Ultimately, the move from Okadoc adds a new dimension to its online appointment booking platform, and provides a glimpse of Benturquia’s ambitions for his company in a competitive health-tech space. “We really wanted to become an enabler rather than a disrupter,” says Benturquia. “What we’ve done is really worked on building solutions for our healthcare providers, for our patients.”

The shift to telehealth was inevitable, says Mohamed Berrada, partner and healthcare practice leader at consulting firm Kearney in Dubai. “Telemedicine has been developing for several years, with many startups and