Shezlong, a platform specialising in connecting people with psychiatric specialists, contracted with two new hospitals and plans to sign contracts with six more by the end of the year.
Ahmed Abu El-Haz, CEO and founder of Shezlong, said he succeeded in contracting with two hospitals to provide help to Shezlong’s patients. He noted that the contracts will allow clients to communicate with psychiatrists at hospitals through the platform’s website.
According to Abu El-Haz, Shezlong aims to contract with six hospitals throughout 2016.
Abu El-Haz explained that Shezlong was developed under the Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre (TIEC), which provided the project with its headquarters. TIEC also provided the project with other forms of support, such as legal and administrative consultancies, and EGP 100,000 worth of services.
Abu El-Haz added that the company is currently in negotiations with a number of foreign investors to obtain funding that would allow it to execute its expansion plan.
Abu El-Haz said the targeted value of funds is $150,000, to be invested in developing the website and expanding the company’s services in the Arab region, adding that the expansion plan is scheduled to begin by the end of 2016.
Shezlong offers online psychiatric treatment from 17 doctors who come from Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, and other Arab countries, as well as Egypt. The company plans to raise the number of doctors to 40 by the end of 2016.
The number of Shezlong’s clients increased to 2,600 over 2016, with the aim of raising this number to 25,000 clients over the next two years.
Shezlong’s revenues come from collecting a fixed commission of $12 from doctors for every session conducted by the doctor for a patient over the internet.
