Nguvu Health, an on-demand teletherapy and health-focused health tech startup, has teamed with AXA Mansard to make quality mental health care accessible and affordable for people across Africa.
The mental healthcare firm has been making professional psychologists available to Nigerians since 2020 and was founded by Joshua Koya, Tolulope Ogunjuyigbe, and Juliet Odumosu
This two-year partnership unites Nguvu Health’s access to teletherapy with AXA Mansard’s access to thousands of people needing mental health coverage.
Collaboration centres on Nguvu’s innovative and unique mental health audit, which includes reviews of policies and procedures, interviews and surveys with employees in confidence, and evaluations of workplace communication, health, and safety.
Quarterly wellness workshops will serve as ‘temperature checks’ to evaluate progress and reestablish efficiency optimisation, and the audit results will be utilised to construct a personalised wellness action plan with timescales.
AXA Mansard will provide their corporate clients and stakeholders with quarterly subsidised wellness sessions and a mental health audit. Nguvu will offer savings on individual, group, and couple treatment, as well as 15 per cent off, to AXA Mansard clients.
Nguvu Health co-founder and chief marketing officer Odumosu told TechCabal in an exclusive call that the company has more than 10,000 subscribers and aims to have 50,000 by the end of the year.
She continued by saying that for Nguvu to expand its user base, the company should form partnerships with health maintenance organisations (HMOs) and leverage their extensive networks. Odumosu argues that HMOs take away not only the cost of therapy but also the lack of knowledge about what kinds of care are accessible. Nguvu chose to team up with AXA Mansard because they were open to working with a young firm and recognised the importance of expanding access to mental health specialists.
Nguvu has a stringent process that psychologists must go through to be approved to provide mental health treatments on the platform. In addition to a bachelor’s degree in psychology, psychologists must present a master’s degree in clinical psychology and documentation of current practice.
Odumosu further elaborated that Nguvu Health collaborated with the Oyo State Government to train counsellors so that those in need would have access to higher-quality treatments for their mental health
Speaking on the partnership and its impact, Joshua Koya, Nguvu Health’s CEO, said, “According to a Deloitte global survey, 64% of employees are frustrated, which leads to a decline in productivity. This survey result reflects many workplaces globally, especially in Africa, where the numbers are amplified due to the tough work environments. This partnership holds special promise for the corporate industry and offers a particular benefit for the healthcare sector, particularly the mental health space, by addressing difficulties and disorders created or exacerbated by work such as stress and burnout.”
It is worthy of note that Africa has only one psychiatrist for every 500,000 people, which is one hundred times lower than the needed quantity. Even worse are the numbers in Nigeria, where over 50 million people suffer from mental problems, yet only 300 psychiatrists are available to treat them. Six of the top 10 countries with the highest suicide rates in the world are located in Africa, according to the World Health Organization. The studies also suggest that there are roughly 20 suicide attempts for every successful one.
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