Egypt’s First Pediatric Healthcare Solutions Provider Looks Back On 5 Years Of Growth

When leading healthcare providers Alameda launched Tabibi 24/7 five years ago it was with the intention of creating a network of family doctors who could access patients’ medical histories. Back in 2011, Alameda partnered with the UK’s Primary Care International (PCI) to craft a healthcare services solution that makes pediatricians available to families. The doctors study the medical records of all the family members to understand their history and provide more accurate diagnoses. Registered Tabibi 24/7 users are able to set up and easily access their child’s complete medical records, including a full medical history and immunization records.

by Nada Mustafa

Last month PCI, known for its international experience in clinical staff training, assistance and communication, visited Egypt to give an intensive eight-day clinical and communication skills training program. Attending was British Ambassador in Egypt John Casson, who at the opening ceremony announced he was thrilled to participate in something that if done properly might solve a major medical issue in Egypt.

“One of the things that Egypt lacks within the health system is a structure of how people feel from basic illnesses to more complex ones,” healthcare management consultant at Alameda Hospital Rafik Bedair, explains. “If a member feels unwell, they usually go to the first doctor they can get their hands on. With that doctor not really familiar with their medical background, wrong diagnoses can be made and that is what led Egypt to being where it is right now regarding healthcare,” he says, adding that Egyptians have a misconceived understanding of medicine and don’t grasp what they should expect from their doctors or physicians. “What Tabibi 24/7 hopes to achieve through their services is to revolutionize the world of medicine in Egypt by fixing that understanding and spreading the correct and updated information about how a patient should be treated and what they should expect. Alameda hopes to set up a new system for healthcare in Egypt, and it will be done through Tabibi 24/7,” Bedair says.

Khalil Abdul Khalik, Tabibi cofounder and medical director, adds that with PCI’s help, Egypt’s healthcare can start to develop. “I saw a huge potential in Egyptian family physicians. What I’m seeking to accomplish is for every family to have their own general practitioner who keeps up with their health and satisfies all their medical needs. I want to transfer this knowledge from the UK to Egypt, and that is why I decided to do this training now.”

An associate professor of pediatrics at Cairo University’s faculty of medicine, Abdul Khalik co-founded Tabibi 24/7 with partners Karim Ragab and Waleed Abdul Hadi, who have successful backgrounds in business management, consulting, and operations management. Being fathers of young children themselves, the three came together after seeing a clear need for a pediatric around-the-clock service in Cairo that provides real value for its patients.

Back then, Tabibi services only covered Maadi, providing around-the-clock house calls. Things picked up quickly and the partners branched out to New Cairo, Zamalek, and Heliopolis. In September of 2012, Tabibi 24/7 opened two state-of-the-art medical clinics in Maadi and Sheikh Zayed providing all types of pediatric clinical care, wellness checks and vaccinations, in addition to a range of other services like speech therapy, homeopathy, surgical consultations, and kids’ psychiatry sessions.

“We focus on making sure doctors explain what the problem is in detail. There is a huge gap between patients and physicians, and we want to decrease the gap and increase mutual understanding and trust between the patients and the doctors,” says Abdul Khalik, who adds that Tabibi 24/7 plans to run more than 20 centers around Egypt by 2017.

For more about Tabibi services, visit their website at tabibi247.com. Home visits can be scheduled by calling 16724.