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Noel Wandera @NoelWandera5

Telkom clients now have convenient and subsidised access to medical consultations through its partnership with Valentis Health, a doctor-founded healthcare service providing telemedicine App through their smartphones.

However, according to a statement issued by the telco, the teleconsultation will cost Telkom customers Sh450, payable via T-Kash Paybill Number 144563.

The medical consultancy service, Dial Daktari, will enable patients to observe physical distancing and to mitigate the risk of person-to-person infection, as stipulated by health authorities during this Covid-19 pandemic.

Customers will be able to access this service through a toll-free number, 0800-221-011, upon which a care manager will take them through triage and then assign them a doctor for a consultation.

If a prescription is required, one will be issued by the doctor and sent directly to one of the various partnering pharmacies or to the patient.

Dial Daktari will also make referrals to specialists or laboratories for further investigations.

In emergency cases, Dial Daktari will facilitate the dispatch of an ambulance to the patient for further assessment and transfer to a hospital.

The Valentis Health App will allow patients to track symptoms, communicate with the doctors via text and also through video consultations.

Valentis Health chief executive Don Othoro said the integration of online and offline healthcare will enable their doctors deliver seamless consultations.

“With the Covid-19 crisis and mandatory physical distancing guidelines, patients have been asked to avoid unnecessary visits to health care facilities where they may put themselves or others at risk of infection.

Telemedicine has become an integral part of primary health care, enabling patients to seek medical attention for non-Covid-19 medical conditions,” said Othoro.