The Ghanaian Technological innovation space is gathering momentum. From agriculture to personal finance, mobile payments to health, developers are making life easier for consumers of these technological innovations. One of such innovations is BISA developed by Oasis Websoft a software company based in Accra.
Bisa means “ask” in the Ghanaian Akan language. It is a mobile application that allows users with an Android, IPhone or Windows phone to directly interact with medical practitioners without being physically present at the hospital.
This is an advantage to people who need medical care and advice but are not able to visit the hospital for various reasons. These reasons are outlined below;
● Poverty is one of the major factors influencing people’s willingness to seek medical help; the cost of transportation to the hospital, the costs of drugs not covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme and the cost of missing a day at work are some of the reasons that lead people to ignore their health needs and to bear their illness. The proximity and availability of a health facility in some areas could mean that some people have to travel long distances, sometimes for days before they can even access a doctor. This means that it can take longer than usual for some people to receive any form of medical attention for their illness.
● Long queues at the hospital which means that some people will spend long hours waiting to be seen and may even sometimes be asked to return the next day because of the large numbers of people, makes it unattractive to visit the hospital.
● The fear of stigmatization, especially for people who have symptoms of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) makes them embarrassed to seek the needed treatment.
● The ease of self-medication – some people find it cheaper and more convenient to take painkillers and over-the-counter drugs which are sometimes delivered straight to their doorsteps. This takes away the motivation to see a doctor until symptoms progress and the condition deteriorates.
As a result of these reasons and others, there is a gap in the healthcare system where some people are not able to easily seek medical help when needed. However, healthcare is a basic amenity which everyone should be able to access and Bisa seeks to address this disparity in access to healthcare.
Bisa was birthed out of the desire to help tackle these healthcare challenges using modern technology. This app does not only address the problems of getting medical attention from qualified doctors but it also helps in the prevention and spread of disease by providing up-to-date information on the epidemiology and pathogenesis of common diseases and how to control spread of diseases during outbreaks.
Bisa does not take away the need to visit the hospital but acts as a temporary measure to easily seek medical help and advice when needed from our qualified doctors anonymously and free of charge by typing in a question, sending a picture of an abnormality or sending a voice note about your problems.
We have eight official doctors namely Dr William Menson and Dr Dennis Addo who also double as co-founders of the project and supported by Dr Emmanuel Ofori , Dr Kizzi Serbeh-Yiadom , Dr. Kojo Awotwi Hutton- Mensah , Dr Kwaku Agyemang Duah , Dr. Prince Opuni Quarcoo , Dr Lawrence Osei-Tutu and health specialist Rd. Salomey Kokoro a dietician. Over 3,500 people have downloaded Bisa on their smart phones. Our official doctors have answered more than 1,500 questions from individuals who are curious about various health conditions that they are facing. Questions range from simple everyday health myth to serious health challenges including respiratory, cardiovascular, digestive and psychological health problems they are facing. Response rate is hundred percent and usually within a twenty four hour period. Our users are generally very appreciative and will recommend Bisa to their friends to utilize the platform.
Bisa is seeking to minimize the long queues at health facilities by saving time and money in the long-run.
Kindly open this link to download Bisa for iphones http://apple.co/1QCyANd Bisa is also available on android phones here http://bit.ly/1CN0QnQ and windows phones here http://bit.ly/1RDFMbB Watch this short video to hear our doctors discuss their work at Bisa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxU3iuOTuHY and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AQR8Haf2gc Learn more about us here www.bisaapp.com and www.facebook.com/bisaapp/ or info@bisaapp.com is developed by Oasis Websoft a software company based in Accra. Learn more about their work here www.oasiswebsoft.com
