Overview

Launched in 2024, Dokotella is a South Africa–based healthcare technology platform designed to create a secure, patient-centric digital ecosystem. Developed and managed by The Venture Studio, the platform empowers patients and healthcare professionals to connect, collaborate, and share data safely — building trust and efficiency into every interaction.

By introducing features such as digital locker, secure identity verification, and compliant data exchange, Dokotella is helping establish the core digital health capabilities that align with South Africa’s journey toward a connected, interoperable Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for health.

The Challenge

Before Dokotella, healthcare coordination between general practitioners and specialists in South Africa faced several critical gaps:

• Fragmented Referral Process: Referrals were handled through emails, phone calls, or instant messaging — channels that were not compliant with POPIA (Protection of Personal Information Act).
• Limited Patient Participation: Patients were not directly involved in the referral or scheduling process, contributing to around 20% missed appointments.
• Disjointed Continuity of Care: Specialists rarely shared follow-up notes or feedback with referring doctors, hindering learning and coordinated care.
• Data Security & Privacy Concerns: Sensitive health data was scattered across systems with no standardized security or interoperability framework.

These challenges revealed the need for a secure, unified platform capable of integrating healthcare workflows, safeguarding patient data, and facilitating seamless collaboration — all within a compliant digital framework.

The Solution: The Dokotella Platform

Dokotella addresses these gaps through an all-in-one digital healthcare platform that combines clinical connectivity, data security, and patient empowerment. Its design mirrors the foundational capabilities of a Digital Health and e-ID–enabled ecosystem, where identity, consent, and data flow securely across the health network.

Key Capabilities and Features

• Connect Online or In-Person: Registered users can easily book and manage appointments — whether online or in-person — through Dokotella’s integrated scheduling system. Each interaction is verified via e-ID–linked OTP authentication, ensuring trust, privacy, and a secure digital identity layer.
• Continuity of Care: The platform enables instant, digital referrals and private notes between healthcare providers. Patients, doctors, and specialists remain informed at every step, ensuring transparency and improving treatment outcomes through real-time coordination.
• Safe & Secure Data Exchange: Dokotella applies robust encryption and multi-factor access controls, ensuring all data handling complies with POPIA data-protection standards. These mechanisms establish the trust and governance necessary for interoperable digital systems.
• Huddle Ecosystem: Through the Huddle Ecosystem, healthcare providers connected to a patient’s care journey can share medical records, notes, and prescriptions securely — ensuring that all participants have the right information at the right time.
• Digital Lockers: At the heart of Dokotella’s ecosystem are Digital Lockers — secure, cloud-based repositories where patients can store, upload, and access their health records, test results, and prescriptions. Healthcare providers can also update and retrieve this information in real time, supporting data portability and interoperability, two essential DPI capabilities.

Impact

• 20% Reduction in Missed Appointments: Patient inclusion in scheduling and referrals improved engagement and adherence.
• Enhanced Data Compliance: All data exchange now adheres to POPIA and emerging global best practices for health information management.
• Strengthened Collaboration: Doctors and specialists now communicate through a unified channel, improving continuity and learning.
• Patient Empowerment: Patients control their own health information through digital lockers — promoting transparency and trust in the care process.

The Road Ahead

As South Africa advances its digital health agenda, platforms like Dokotella demonstrate how the private sector can play a pivotal role in building digital public goods, fostering interoperability, and delivering healthcare that keeps patients truly at the center.