Ashoka
How a Neurosurgeon and CEO Found Inspiration in Surgery on a 7-Year-Old Boy
Amr El-Tayeb recognized that 50-60 million Egyptians lack health care services. Software was the only way he saw to meaningfully tackle that problem. So he built one of Egypt’s most promising new companies, Smart Medical Services. In addition to managing medical programs for self-insured companies, with more than 65,000 subscribers, and providing software for health insurers, it offers a basic medical plan, Sehaty, directly to Egyptians who might not be able to otherwise afford health insurance. Sehaty has 80,000 subscribers who pay 250 Egyptian pounds a year, about $15, for a family of five. Smart Medical Services is profitable for now, with an eye toward expansion in Egypt and East Africa. With a platform that can handle 1 million subscribers, it's poised to become one of the most important health care software companies in the region.
