Bupa Arabia, a provider of cooperative insurance has partnered with Okadoc, a leading regional health-tech company aiming to enhance customer experience and elevate the level of its digital healthcare services.

The strategic partnership, which was recently further solidified through an equity investment in Okadoc, represents a key milestone in the MENA region, in general, and Saudi Arabia, in particular.

“One of Bupa Arabia's key strategic priorities is to expand its investment portfolio in innovative tech companies” said Nader Ashoor, CFO at Bupa Arabia.”

“The partnership comes in line with the aspirations of the Ministry of Health, the Council of Cooperative Health Insurance (CCHI), and the Central Bank (SAMA) in driving digital transformation in the sector in accordance with the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.”

Bupa Arabia’s equity investment in Okadoc is a unique occasion to strengthen the Company’s relationship with its members and provide them with innovative digital services that are engaging, interactive and accessible.

“We will always need doctors’ offices, but it’s up to digital health innovators to facilitate the right mix of in-person and virtual interactions” said Nader.

Through the partnership with Okadoc, Bupa Arabia’s insured members will be offered instant medical appointment with doctors across more than 60 specialities, including some of the Kingdom’s largest hospital groups.

Once logging in to the mobile app, patients can view in-network doctors and book an appointment within 30 seconds, including the ability to search for doctors by name, clinic name, specialty, language spoken, gender, country of education, location. They will also receive reminders and can reschedule, cancel or even request earlier availability online.

Fodhil Benturquia, Okadoc CEO and Founder, said: “Our mission at Okadoc has always been simple: to improve the healthcare experience for all. Our white label solution is currently adopted by some of the region’s largest providers and payers. Through our technology, patients will have direct access to top hospitals and clinics throughout the Kingdom – this is exactly the type of game-changing technology that the sector needs. We look forward to our strategic partnership with Bupa Arabia to help us achieve our mission and prepare us for our next stage of growth”

Okadoc’s solution is the only one-stop shop patient engagement platform that is directly integrated with providers’ health information system (HIS/EMR), allowing patients to see real-time availabilities and book video and in-person appointments seamlessly without any admin support.

Not only does Okadoc’s technology reduce administrative burdens, but it is also proven to reduce no-shows by as much as 75%, increase patient satisfaction, offer new revenue streams via online consultations, increase operational efficiency by optimizing appointment bookings, and increase payment options for patients. – TradeArabia News Service