Monday 1 February 2016

Developing Bisa, your ultimate Health app...

It's 2016 and I am still very busy but productive as usual. I get about 2 - 3 hours sleep a day (around 4 - 6/7am). I am working on really exciting projects and my business is doing so well. Our core focus at my company Oasis Websoft apart from delivering quality software solutions to clients is to research and develop technology solutions that can impact society positively.

We deployed Bisa in the last quarter of 2015.  Bisa means “ask” in the Ghanaian twi language. Bisa is a mobile application that allows users with an android or windows phone to interact directly with medical practitioners without having physical contact; an advantage to people who have health concerns but are shy to talk to a doctor face to face about.

Based on our research we came to the understanding that most people do not like to visit hospital for check up for various reasons. Some of these reasons include the long queue system at the hospitals. Also for the fear of stigmatization, most people especially those who suffer symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s) scarcely visit the hospital. The act of self medication among Ghanaians have become a serious threat to our existence especially the use and abuse of painkillers, antibiotics and aphrodisiac products. The phenomenon is thriving due to the busy nature of the working class and general poverty among the people, especially those in the deprived areas, making it impossible for a number of them to visit the hospital for medical care.

Bisa is available on android play store , apple app store and also windows phone store. A feature is also available in the application that allows users to ask a doctor a question. Users can also attach or take a photo of any part of their body they are concerned about. Our doctors will then review these questions and respond within twenty four hours.

Stats on installs of Bisa for Android by Country (Total 2,024)
We have six official doctors. Over  two thousand , five hundred people have downloaded Bisa on their smart phones. Our doctors have answered over one thousand 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. So far,  60% of Bisa users who have had their queries answered by our doctors have given us good feedback. They were generally very appreciative and will recommend Bisa to their friends to utilize the platform.

We now have a new arm of Oasis Websoft called Oasis Multimedia. They are in charge of video productions, documentary and short films , drone projects ,photography and graphic designing. They recently produced a short interview with Dr Dennis Addo, Co-founder & Chief Medical Officer of Bisa.

We have a very vibrant facebook page with over 4,000 likes. Follow our page for updates - Bisa Facebook. We believe we have started a health revolution in Ghana that will grow and make a greater impact. You can support this revolution by reaching out to us info@bisaapp.com Your support will be crucial to the success of this health revolution. Payment modules may be introduced in the future but we believe if we can get your support, we can keep most aspects of the app free and make a big impact. Learn more about Bisa here www.bisaapp.com 

I will be publishing more blog articles this year about my work , future projects and many more exciting things. I might share a few tips from my entrepreneurial journey as well. Happy new year !!