With the MTN 9th annual  MTN Business App awards being around the corner  the organisations says they are excited to see the new ground-breaking apps and solutions that will be coming through in the 2020 submissions. This year’s awards are not only  aimed at encouraging the efforts of local developers, but on further building an industry that will contribute to transforming key sectors in South Africa, whilst rebuilding the economy. 

Reflecting on last year’s winner the Vula Mobile which was in the ‘Best Health App’ category of the 2019 MTN Business App of the Year Awards. This App has managed to combine specialised expertise and technology to bring healthcare services closer to those who need it most.  Behind the vision of the app was also revolutionising rural healthcare services.

 

 

Access to medical specialists is virtually impossible if you live far from an urban centre. However, Vula Mobile, winner in the ‘Best Health App’ category of the 2019 MTN Business App of the Year Awards, has confirmed that where specialised expertise and technology combine, help can be brought closer to those who need it most.  

“Vula Mobile’s vision is to allow every healthcare worker to have access to specialist advice at primary healthcare level,” says founder of the app and service, Dr William Mapham. His brainchild now offers access to more than 4,000 doctors and helps more than 19,000 patients per month. The range of specialties catered for include ophthalmology; cardiology; ear, nose and throat; burns; family medicine; HIV/ Aids; and orthopaedics amongst others. 

 

More recently, during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Vula Mobile has proved its worth by playing a role in the national ‘Doctors-on-call hotline’.  More than 450 doctors from the private sector joined the service in response to a call for a public service to allow South Africans to dial-in and speak to a doctor about the virus. Calls are documented and reports are generated using the Vula Mobile app. At the same time, referrals to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) for testing and results are captured on the app. 

Kholo Magagane, Head of Marketing at MTN Business, says that the Vula Mobile app entry into the 2019 edition of the MTN Business App of the Year Awards showed the potential that apps have for tangible, positive social change. 

 

With entries closing on 29 September, this year’s awards ceremony will be livestreamed on 29 October 2020. Updates on the competition will be posted on @MTNBusinessZA on Twitter. Anyone interested in participating in the conversation can follow #mtnappawards