Thursday, March 28, 2024
Startups in Africa

Egypt’s TakeStep is Rehabilitating Addicts Through Technology

Thanks to an increasingly connected, mobile-first population, healthtech is booming in Africa.

Across the continent, startups are using tech-based solutions to help tackle the challenges in delivering high-quality healthcare to rural and resource-deprived areas.

Egyptian healthtech startup, TakeStep founded by Mohamed Khashaba in 2017 is a socio-medical platform that connects the stakeholders of the addiction recovery process together empowering the patients and their key persons to take control of their recovery and not to relapse again.

The startup uses mobile technology to help people struggling with addiction. It’s a full stack platform designed to address addiction’s complexity. Not only do they help people quickly and discreetly access professional counselling, they stay engaged throughout the recovery process to prevent relapses.

Their platform works by “connecting all stakeholders in the addiction recovery process” including patients, guardians, treatment facilities, and supervisors all in a bid to prevent them from going back to their old life.

Mohamed was inspired to start TakeStep after seeing his brother relapse for the fourth time during his seven year battle with drug addiction, Mohamed decided to make a solution for this by himself and in doing this, to also help others who might be suffering a similar fate.

The process is anonymous and affordable, largely reaching out to patients in Egypt’s governorates, as well as encouraging female addicts to get in touch and talk about their issues. According to the Ministry of Social Solidarity, 10.4% of Egyptians are drug addicts, of which women comprise almost 30%.

The startup won a Social Impact Award at the Summit. In addition to exhibiting at Web Summit, TakeStep has already moved into the US market. The startup moved their headquarters to Albuquerque New Mexico in 2017 to help fight the state’s addiction crisis.

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