On a busy Thursday afternoon in Addis Ababa, Tamrat Sultan sat outside a bustling cafe, enjoying a bottle of water as locals passed by. With his curly hair casually tousled and round glasses perched on his face, the youthful 27-year-old exuded an air of easygoing charm.
Despite his relaxed appearance, Tamrat's mind never stops churning with ideas for improving healthcare access in Ethiopia through innovative solutions. As the co-founder and CEO of HuluCares, a digital health startup, he is leading the charge to revolutionize how Ethiopians access and pay for medical care.
"My goal has always been to make quality healthcare available to all Ethiopians, not a privilege for few," Tamrat said passionately. It's a lofty ambition, but one driven by a desire to relieve suffering that first stirred in Tamrat during his early career in medicine.
A Moment of Inspiration
In his final year of medical school at Jimma University, Tamrat underwent a six-month internship at a hospital in Addis Ababa. It was there that he encountered Sarah, a young mother battling end-stage chronic kidney disease.
Without a viable organs donor or funds for a transplant, Sarah's only lifeline was twice-weekly dialysis treatments. However, the exorbitant out-of-pocket costs for the ongoing care were plunging her family deeper into debt. Tamrat watched helplessly as Sarah's children dropped out of school to take on odd jobs to help pay medical bills.
"Seeing the impact on her kids was just heartbreaking. No one should have to sacrifice their future and livelihoods to stay alive," Tamrat recalled, eyes downcast at the memory. It was then that he first grasped healthcare's inextricable links to socioeconomic stability and pulled himself from a career in clinical medicine to pursue policy change through entrepreneurship.
Tamrat began researching Ethiopia's healthcare landscape and learned that majority of the population lacked health insurance coverage. For many, costs proved insurmountable barriers to essential services. He decided that digitizing insurance could increase affordability and accessibility through economies of scale.
Building HuluCares from the Ground Up
In 2023, Tamrat founded HuluCares alongside computer science graduates Nasrallah Hassan, Fitsum Mekonnen, and Ezana Haileselassie. They aimed to build a digital health insurance platform to streamline the traditionally paper-heavy application and claims processes. By reducing operational costs through technology, HuluCares hoped to pass the savings on in the form of more affordable premiums.
The early days proved difficult as the founders bootstrapped the company through countless prototyping sessions and market research interviews.
By digitizing member enrollment and claims adjudication, they estimated 70 percent savings over paper systems.
Scaling Solutions for the Masses
Buoyed by the pilot's success, Tamrat sought to scale accessible solutions for mainstream Ethiopians facing barriers like poor connectivity in rural areas. He realized that for digital inclusion, "mobility was the missing link."
One of the key hurdles Tamrat foresaw in developing HuluCares' digital platform was Ethiopia's unreliable internet and power infrastructure, especially in rural areas. To address this, he explains, "In addition to our mobile app, we're building a USSD-based solution to maximize accessibility."
With this accessibility boost plan, Tamrat pursued strategic partnerships to bolster geographical reach and widen insurance choice. HuluCares is reaching an agreement with NIB Insurance, one of Ethiopia’s largest providers, to offer bundled plans through the digital platform.
HuluCares also seeks to integrate telehealth capabilities. This will allow remote medical consultations, prescriptions and even claims processing—a safe, contactless option amidst the pandemic.
Fueling the Future of Healthcare
Looking ahead, Tamrat aims to enroll 1.5 million Ethiopians and 200 clinics on HuluCares by 2025. “We want to empower people with choices and control over their wellbeing through prevention and convenient care access,” he explained.
To that end, HuluCares will diversify insurance packages to include comprehensive primary care, chronic illness management and even income protection plans. It also plans to bolster the healthcare network through tie-ups with hundred ofclinics and hospitals nationwide.
Regulatory alliances are also key to Tamrat’s strategy. He desires supportive policies around data-sharing, cross-border portability and insurtech innovations. “Partnerships will supercharge our ability to disrupt legacy systems with next-gen solutions,” he enthused.
On the technology front, Tamrat envisions blockchain-based medical records and AI for predictive risk profiling. The goal: optimize every player’s experience through informed decision-making powered by insights.
Most of all, he works tirelessly as a champion for healthcare justice through online posts and media interviews. "Education leads to understanding, which spurs policy change. Together we can cure societal ills," asserted Tamrat earnestly.
For this ambitious entrepreneur, the journey has just begun. With each innovative solution and person empowered, Tamrat and HuluCares edge closer to their vision of democratizing access to quality care for all Ethiopians.
