• STAFF REPORTER
A Telemedicine service called Dr MacQ has been offering healthcare to 5 000 workers in Namibia’s varying sectors.
Driven by Dr Armid Azadeh’s company, Macquarie Medical Care, the service has been making real progress in healthcare accessibility.
According to Macquarie Medical Care commercial director Gideon Myburgh, “the organisation’s innovative approach leverages digital health solutions to deliver medical services to both urban and rural communities”.
The aim of the Namibian-owned company is to make healthcare more accessible to all Namibians, regardless of their employment in the tourism, mining, manufacturing or local urban sectors.
In comparison to conventional healthcare methods, Dr MacQ uses an omni-channel approach. Patients can conveniently access care via a dedicated app, phone calls, SMSes or WhatsApps.
“This adaptable approach has made healthcare more accessible, especially in regions where medical services are usually scarce,” says Myburgh.
Known for his services to many healthcare-related bodies, Dr Azadeh is a Namibian physician who started Macquarie Medical Care 12 years ago, with the goal of changing healthcare delivery in Namibia.
“The service’s wide network includes 31 pharmacy partners throughout Namibia, improving access to prescription drugs and consultations,” says Myburgh.
Dr MacQ is representing Namibia as a regional finalist in the Global Start-up Awards (GSA) for health-tech. It is also one of the five finalists in the best of health and medical services category of the Best of Namibia.
By bringing together high-impact entrepreneurs from more than 100 nations, the GSAs foster global innovation and expansion. As a component of GSA, the Southern Africa Start-up Awards highlight businesses with great promise and provide them with a forum to engage with stakeholders and investors.
Macquarie Medical Care is committed to its goal of providing healthcare to all Namibians, regardless of their geography or sector, even as it broadens its offerings. Dr MacQ’s achievement is an illustration of how telemedicine may close gaps in healthcare access and enhance community well-being.
Gondwana Group human resource manager Jana Burger says the organisation recently implemented the Dr MacQ services.
“We raised awareness at our Namib Desert Collection, which includes Namib Desert Lodge, Dune Star Lodge and The Desert Grace,” says Burger.
“Lodge employees were exceptionally receptive and open to the services offered and have started using the various channels.”
The service has been further rolled out to guests effective 1 July for a three-month period. During this time, guests staying at Gondwana properties, travelling in Namibia2Go vehicles or using Go2 Traveller Transfers will have free access to this service.
If a guest feels unwell or has an injury, the lodge team is to provide the guests with the contact details to Dr MacQ for a private medical consultation, avoiding the need to visit a doctor’s office, emergency room or hospital.
Furthermore, as part of the trial period, Gondwana Collection Namibia has installed a small pharmacy at the Namib Desert Collection. This pilot programme allows guests who are issued prescriptions by Dr MacQ to collect and pay for their medication directly at the lodge.
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