Afrihealth, a premier technology solutions provider in Nigeria, has launched Rigour+, a groundbreaking medical super app set to transform the African healthcare landscape by addressing critical challenges and providing convenience and quality healthcare services at users’ fingertips.

Rigour+ is poised to revolutionize healthcare access for millions of Africans, starting with Nigeria. It tackles major issues such as limited access to quality healthcare, rampant counterfeit drugs, and difficulty in obtaining medical services.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), counterfeit drugs are responsible for approximately 500,000 deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa annually.

In Nigeria alone, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) estimates that 10-15% of drugs in circulation are fake or substandard, leading to thousands of preventable fatalities.

Inadequate ambulance services contribute to the unnecessary loss of lives during medical emergencies.

Dr. Osagie Ehanire, Nigeria’s Minister of Health, asserts that an efficient emergency medical treatment service could reduce mortality rates by nearly 50%, especially at night.

Afrihealth’s Rigour+ medical super app is designed to combat these challenges, improving access to quality healthcare services for Nigerians and eventually the entire African continent.

Key features of the Rigour+ app include:

● Telemedicine: Securely book video consultations with doctors, control video settings during calls, and consent to video recording when necessary.

● Medicine prescription: Obtain prescriptions based on doctor consultations and store medical records electronically for easy access.

● Medication purchase and authentication: Order medications directly through the app, complete payments securely, and receive deliveries at your preferred address. Use the app’s cutting-edge scanning feature to verify product integrity, detect counterfeit drugs, and ensure the wholesomeness of the products for consumption. Returns and refunds are available when necessary.

● Ambulance services: Request an ambulance during emergencies with just a few taps.

These features are accessible through a user-friendly interface prioritizing convenience and accessibility.

Afrihealth’s dedication to patient safety is showcased through Rigour+’s emphasis on combating counterfeit drugs. The app’s innovative scanning technology empowers users to make informed choices, ensuring they purchase only genuine products.

This feature can significantly reduce the risk of adverse health effects and save lives by detecting fake or substandard medications.

Linda Obi, Afrihealth’s CEO, states, “We’re thrilled to launch Rigour+ after countless hours of development and refinement. We believe this app has the potential to radically transform healthcare access for Nigerians, making it more accessible, convenient, and reliable than ever before.”

Rigour+ is now available for free download on the App Store and Google Play Store. Afrihealth envisions Rigour+ as the catalyst for transforming healthcare access across Nigeria and the broader African continent.

The issues in Nigeria’s health sector aren’t just limited to access, it includes infiltration of fake drugs, hospitals not being emergency-ready, and lack of access to healthcare providers, manufacturers, pharmacists, etc.

The Rigour + solution comes in different segments – Rigour + for Doctors, which connects patients to doctors; Rigour + for Pharmacists, which allows them to onboard and track orders from hospitals/patients; Rigour + for Hospitals and Rigour + for Manufacturers, which helps to fight the infiltration of fake drugs.

At the event, a demo was done and it showed how the Rigour + app remains user-friendly making a big difference in how easily users can navigate and accomplish tasks within. The user interface enhanced the user experience, making it more visually appealing.

Linda Adaeze Obi, CEO, AfriHealth, said at the launch in Lagos that AfriHealth is poised to provide technology-enabled solutions that will ensure that Nigerians are connected to medical experts, and pharmacists without the usual traditional barriers.

According to Linda, healthcare access in Nigeria is very limited in all dimensions due to factors within and beyond the health system, but with the integration of technology, some of the challenges will be tackled.

Overall, the Rigour + App allows patients to book a consultation with a doctor and have a virtual session and allows patients to place an order for drugs and get it delivered to their doorsteps. It also provides the opportunity for pharmacists or doctors to generate more income from the solution.

Specifically, Rigour + for Manufacturers was built with the intent to fight medicine counterfeiting in Nigeria. AfriHealth adopted the new serialization to help manufacturers and importers comply with regulatory requirements and improve the safety and quality of pharmaceutical products.

Nigeria is one of the world’s most counterfeited markets, and it ranks first among African nations in terms of the number of citizens lost to fake medications each year. According to the Brazzaville Foundation, 120,000 Africans pass away each year.

The infiltration of fake drugs costs the global pharmaceutical sector $200 billion yearly. Due to the lack of trustworthy track and trace capabilities, producers and importers in Nigeria experience severe pain points, which can result in production losses of up to 40% and huge revenue losses.

According to Umanze Cornelius, Chief Operating Officer, AfriHealth, to guarantee that Rigour+ for Manufacturers complies with the highest standards of safety and quality, it is completely aligned with regulatory organizations like GS1 Nigeria and NAFDAC.

He said by implementing track and trace capabilities, Rigour+ for Manufacturers aims to help manufacturers and importers comply with regulatory requirements and improve the safety and quality of pharmaceutical products

“Now, you can trace and track where the drugs are coming from and all the elements connected to them. If the drugs have issues or are poisonous, you can now say the problem is coming from here. This moves our system from reactionary processes.

“It is difficult if you cannot trace where the poisonous substance in a drug is situated. So, with the technology, you can track them.”

However, he added that digitizing healthcare in Nigeria has the potential to significantly solve many of those issues bedeviling the sector. It has improved access to healthcare services, increase efficiency, and ultimately save lives.