An Intrepid Million-Dollar Bet On A Virtual Hospital Ward In Africa

Quro Medical, a South African digital health startup, has emerged from stealth mode to announce the closure of its USD 1.1 Mn seed funding round led by Enza Capital and Mohau Equity Partners. This investment will accelerate growth for Africa’s first technology-driven Hospital at Home offering.

Co-founded by Dr. Vuyane Mhlomi, Zikho Pali, and Rob Cornish in 2018, Quro Medical has set out to push the boundaries of innovation to deliver accessible and affordable healthcare solutions.

Traditional hospitals are experiencing excessive demand, placing strain on bed capacity and hindering effective patient treatment and recovery. Yet, research has shown that acute patient care at home can lead to better clinical outcomes, lower cost, and improved patient experience.

Quro Medical claims its solution combines state-of-the-art hardware and software and clinical excellence to manage acutely ill patients in the comfort of their homes.

“The healthcare sector across the globe has experienced extreme pressure and strain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and desperately needs digital solutions to ease many of the problems experienced in it.” says Zikho Pali, Quro Medical’s Co-Founder and Chief Operations Officer.

The company says it is building a virtual hospital ward in Africa that seeks to achieve superior clinical outcomes to conventional care at a lower cost. Quro Medical claims its platform reduces the costs of healthcare delivery by leveraging real-time, data-driven clinical interventions.

“We are focused on saving lives and enhancing patient care. The technology is the enabler, making all of this possible,” says Dr. Vuyane Mhlomi, Quro Medical’s Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer. “This investment will enable us to accelerate our growth and meet the increased demand from our clients,” says Mhlomi.

Quro Medical also boasts care-at-home services that are safe and unlocks great value for the patient and their healthcare providers.

“Apart from the high and continuously escalating costs, traditional brick and mortar hospitalization carries with it the risk of hospital-acquired infections that can be resistant to antibiotics and have serious consequences for vulnerable patients,” says Pali.

Beyond telemedicine and traditional home care, Quro Medical has set out to intelligently incorporate clinical data as well as the remote healthcare monitoring value proposition — closing the active data and patient monitoring fault lines often found in more traditional telemedicine approaches.

Quro Medical’s latest investment led by Kenyan and South Africa VC firms, Enza Capital and Mohau Equity Partners arms and equips the startup to scale its operations across the country and the African continent.

“As our collective healthcare systems struggle to care for patients beyond the walls of a hospital, which we’ve seen exacerbated with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, remote patient monitoring, and healthcare delivery will undoubtedly form a core part of the lasting solution. Vuyane, Zikho, and the exceptional Quro Medical team are redefining how world-class healthcare is delivered across Africa”, said Mike Mompi, Partner at Enza Capital.

Quro Medical plans to scale its operations across South Africa, as well as attract and retain talent and extend into markets with a vital offering in a sector that seems ripe and ready for innovation.

“We are very excited to be invested in Quro, they are a dynamic management team, building out a global medical solution, that will showcase the ability of entrepreneurs on the African continent in advanced digital healthcare”-Dr. Penny Moumakwa, CEO, Mohau Equity Partners.