Lilaq App Brings Medical Assistance To Working Parents

Not dissimilar to many South African families today, Galina Kroucheva, founder of Lilaq Technologies, once had to manage child responsibilities without any support from family and friends, all while juggling the intense demands and long hours necessitated by her job in the IT realm. 

Her son was an easy-going and content child. But, as luck would have it, he would come down with a tight chest at the most inopportune of times. Having to find a doctor, never mind a paediatrician, on the same day, as well as fitting an appointment in with her heavy work schedule, was fast becoming an impossible task for Kroucheva. 

She found some reprieve when a paediatrician and close friend moved to South Africa. She was finally able to schedule an appointment for her son on the very same day that his episodes occurred. Although she still had to travel 60 kilometres to see the doctor, the additional time and expense were well worth the peace of mind that her son was receiving timely and quality treatment. 

“I was tremendously relieved to have found a solution to what was becoming a very stressful problem,” she recalls. “Our son’s medical needs, when they arose, were immediate. Having a paediatrician friend on call was a huge relief.

“However, when our son became ill, either my husband or I still had to take time off work to get him to the doctor.”

And so Kroucheva decided to pay it forward to every other working parent in South Africa by creating and providing a service that negates the stresses concerning healthcare for their loved ones. She developed the Lilaq Health app, a platform that connects busy parents (and other professionals) to registered healthcare specialists via a mobile app.

The app delivers rapid and affordable access to quality healthcare professionals. The user simply enters their request, along with their location and desired timeslot, and a medical professional is dispatched to assist. This eliminates travel time and the need to wait in crowded clinics – especially in times of Covid.

Work-life balance

“Lilaq understands the delicate balancing act of work, family and life and that any time lost with loved ones is irreplaceable, causing immense levels of stress and guilt within the modern-day working parent,” says Kroucheva. “By connecting working mothers and fathers to registered healthcare specialists, Lilaq Health empowers them to plan care for their families according to their personal schedules – without having to jeopardise their precious time and attention with those dearest to them.”

Lilaq has partnered with a progressive pharmacy-based clinic management team to provide the required care. 

“At the moment the platform is set to offer child and adult vaccinations, injections and general check-ups administered by an experienced nurse in the comfort of your home for a set fee,” says Kroucheva. “Thereafter, the goal is to connect the parent and visiting nurse with the child’s doctor on a schedule that best accommodates the parent.”

Working parents in South Africa

A significant percentage of moms and dads in South Africa have nobody with whom to share the heavy responsibility of raising a child. Additionally, in comparison to the likes of Europe, our country’s social support for children and working parents is largely inadequate. Mothers are expected back at work after only four months of maternity leave – all while having to deal with the emotional trauma associated with separating from their baby, and simultaneously striving to be productive at work. Kroucheva believes that providing a suite of carefully thought-out services tailored to alleviating the stresses of the working parent is a fitting way to celebrate these unsung heroes of society.

This also presents an opportunity for forward thinking South African corporates to step in as they usually do when governmental social policies don’t suffice. Lilaq invites such organisations to extend their generosity and assist working mothers with specifically targeted services. 

Lilaq was developed by a working parent, for working parents and this aspect of the revolutionary app is just the tip of the iceberg for greater things to come.

The app is available in the Apple App and Google Play stores. Services are currently only available in Johannesburg north, Centurion and Pretoria, but will soon be rolled out to other urban centres.

For more information visit www.lilaq.co.za.