Mashable: Egypt and the MENA area have seen an increase in the use of doctor-booking and consultation applications in recent times.

In developing markets like Egypt, a substantial unmet need exists for medical consulting. In 2018, the doctor-to-patient ratio in Egyptian government hospitals was 1:2,000. Egypt and the MENA region are using more doctor-booking and consultation apps.

Egypt and the MENA area have seen an increase in the use of doctor-booking and consultation applications in response to these issues.

Esaal is one such company that has been trying out itself in this sector. Not only limited to physical health consultations but also mental health and nutrition are only a couple of the issues it covers.

As reported by TechCrunch, since its inception in 2018, VC company A15 has invested $1.7 million in Esaal, bringing its total funding from the firm to $3 million since the platform was created.

Mental health issues are on the rise in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), where 35% of people say they are frequently stressed, 29% say they are depressed, and adult obesity is reaching new highs. Because of the social stigma attached to seeking help for one's mental health or talking openly about such concerns, many people suffer in silence for years or even decades.

Many people are looking for mental health counselors, and they're in great demand. Seeing a therapist or psychiatrist in person, on the other hand, is out of the question for the majority of individuals. Fadi Doss, Esaal's founder, and CEO stated, "That's not common yet; people would want to do it."

Others would openly discuss their personal issues on social media sites, often using pseudonyms, and get advice from people who weren't experts in the subject area. In light of this tendency, he decided to establish an online platform that would allow people to communicate via virtual means with therapists.

For this reason, we created a platform that links the user to an expert, where he or she may obtain an answer to their health questions in a clear and efficient manner," the founder explained. Nutrition, the topic is getting more popular in this region since obesity rates among adults are rising. We can observe that individuals are becoming more concerned about their health and diet."

A total of 350 consultants have signed up for Esaal's platform. Anxiety, physical therapy, pediatrics, and nutrition are just a few of the topics they address in their consultations. With the use of an app (video and phone chats as well as in-person visits), customers may access these services and pay for them using a variety of payment methods.

A lockdown caused by the epidemic led to new prospects in health tech for Esaal, as well as many other platforms. Its user base increased by 55% between 2020 and 2021 and now exceeds 1 million. Between 2020 and 2021, the company's revenue and average revenue per user (ARPU) grew by a total of 250 percent and 130 percent, respectively.

Seven nations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are covered by Esaal, according to Doss. With just $3 million in financing from its lone investor, A15, the company has been able to run a capital-efficient operation.

More than 10 medium-to-large enterprises have joined with the Egyptian health tech firm to provide these services to the more than 5,000 individuals who work there. Subscriptions and on-demand consultation fees are now charged by Esaal, but in-person visits will be included in future updates as an additional source of revenue.