A platform for booking online appointments with doctors across hospitals and clinics in the UAE, Meddy offers convenience and enhanced experience to patients while increasing profitability for providers, CEO Haris Aghadi tells GN Focus in an interview.
Tell us about Meddy’s services in the UAE?
Founded in 2016, with more than 150,000 monthly users, Meddy bridges the gap between the patients and the providers by allowing hassle-free online booking with specialists across the nation for in-clinic, instant and telehealth appointments. The patient has the option to choose from a wide range of doctors based on the specialty, languages spoken, reviews, ratings, insurance accepted and location. Sub-filters for treatments are also available.
Meddy also helps clinics improve their online presence and acquire new patients with a suite of products for them and their marketing teams to manage bookings, patient reviews and analytics. Meddy has drastically increased profitability for practising providers in the UAE by drawing new patients to them and enhancing the patient experience.
Healthcare providers in the UAE have partnered with Meddy to offer video consultations for patients from the comfort of their homes. Telehealth appointments can be paid for online, allow medicine prescription through SMS after the call ends, and also enable the patients to obtain virtual sick leaves.
During the height of Covid-19 telemedicine became a necessity. How did Meddy respond to this need?
Deciphering the patient’s needs and putting them first, in two weeks, Meddy rolled out its telehealth product. Unlike other telehealth applications, Meddy built a secure product with P2P encryption and HIPAA compliance that abides by Dubai Health Authority guidelines, to make sure that the patient’s data was safeguarded. Furthermore, the tool was made user-friendly without any pre-installation of software required, offering compatibility on all devices. This allowed the patients to carry on with their treatment during the peak Covid days, by video consulting doctors with a glitch-free interface and high-quality video and audio. Amid rolling out the telehealth tool, Meddy onboarded doctors of all specialties from clinics and hospitals in the UAE to provide remote treatment.
Meddy.com entered the UAE in 2018. Can you tell us about the market scene then, your impact, and how you have grown over the years?
In 2018, the UAE healthcare industry was as competitive as it is today. However, Meddy made an impact by positioning itself in the minds of the individuals as a reliable doctor-booking platform with a library of specialists to choose from based on location, reviews and ratings among other things. Over time, Meddy customised the appointment booking cycle for the patient and added 2,000 plus doctors for the patients to access. At Meddy, we believe in continuous growth, hence we’re improving and enhancing the experience for both the patient and the doctor.
Meddy has also created a health blog called Hakeem, which features medical facts, tips, step-by-step guides, patient success stories, and provides an outlook towards a healthier and fitter life.
How does your hospital network benefit customers?
The patients get to choose a specialist according to their needs. They can search for doctors under 60 specialties, specific to the treatment they want. Meddy makes it easy for the patients to consult a healthcare provider who speaks their language, is available in their location, and accepts their insurance – all while reading patient feedback against the chosen doctor.
What are Meddy’s plans for future growth?
The healthcare sector is evolving and expanding rapidly. To keep up to date with the patient’s unique needs and the clinic’s expectations, Meddy plans to broaden its services, amplify its application, and be prepared for all external barriers such as the unexpected Covid crisis.
