Telehealth unicorn Babylon signed a decade-long deal with the Rwandan government to give consumers free access to its services

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The UK-based telehealth unicorn's deal in Rwanda will grant all citizens over age 12 free access to digital services from Babylon's Rwanda-focused subsidiary Babyl, per MobiHealthNews.

For context, Babyl connects patients to remote Rwanda-based general practitioners, flaunts triage and symptom checker tools, and enables electronic prescription services. And it's seen success in region, counting over 2 million subscribers since launching in 2016.

Despite coming under fire from the public lately, Babylon seems to be blazing forward with its global expansion efforts.

Babylon recently drummed up scrutiny over the caliber of advice its AI-enabled chatbot is churning out and how it's handling customer data. For instance, Babylon-employed physicians have expressed worry that Babylon's software was advising patients to head into emergency rooms who might not actually need emergency services - and UK doctors have denounced Babylon's relationship with the NHS.

And earlier this month, after an oncologist and Babylon user voiced potential flaws in Babylon's algorithm, Babylon tweeted details about the doc's activity with the service, which raised concerns about users' data confidentiality, according to MobiHealthNews.

But the allegations haven't held Babylon back from extending its geographic footprint or forging ties with firms across the healthcare landscape. The seven-year-old startup boasts operations in the UK, Rwanda, and Canada - and it's ramping up efforts in China, the Middle East, and the US, for example. And just last week, it inked a new partnership with pharma giant Sanofi. Babylon - carried by its $2 billion valuation - has funds and investor attention on its side and likely won't slow its expansion efforts - even in the wake of disagreeable limelight.

Babylon's tie-up with the Rwandan government underscores virtual care companies' international potential - but there are obstacles that could inhibit them from making a meaningful impact overseas.

Telehealth can connect patients with specialists in regions suffering from severe doctor shortages. In Babylon's case, it makes sense that the Rwandan government bet big on the team-up: 12 million people live in Rwanda, but there are only an estimated 1,300 docs working in the country, per Rwanda Broadcasting Agency.

And we've seen healthcare agencies in other countries with limited doctor supplies - like China - lean heavily on making virtual care more accessible. This is a worldwide issue, with the WHO's most recent estimates indicating a global shortage of over 4 million clinicians - which means there's ample opportunity for telehealth vendors to provide the tech needed to spread doctors' reach far and wide.

But instating impactful telehealth initiatives may not be feasible in regions without strong technological infrastructure in place. For telehealth to be effective in connecting patients with the care they need, users will need to have access to proper resources - like mobile devices and internet connection.

While Babyl says the platform works on phones with limited internet capabilities, there's still a sizable portion of the population that doesn't use internet: As of 2018, just 48% of people in Rwanda were using the internet, according to APA News. So, while the opportunity for telehealth providers to land down in countries with severe doctor shortages abounds, actually spurring uptake could be difficult if tech barriers persist.

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