…Turns emergency bills into preventive subscriptions
By Chioma Obinna
Nigeria’s healthcare system is staring at a silent crisis. More than 20 million citizens are above the age of 60, yet fewer than 200 certified geriatricians serve this population. That leaves roughly one doctor for every 100,000 seniors. With the elderly population set to double by 2050, the question is no longer if the system will buckle, but how soon.
Worse still, Nigeria has one of the world’s worst life expectancy ratios, it has no functional national policy on the care and welfare of older persons.
However, for families abroad, the crisis is personal. A stroke in Lagos can trigger a N2 million emergency bill settled from London. A diabetes complication in Abuja may spark frantic wire transfers from Toronto. Reactive healthcare is expensive healthcare, draining savings and straining families.
It is into this gap that Gerocare Solutions, a Lagos-based health-tech startup, has stepped with a bold proposition: turn crisis-driven spending into preventive subscriptions that save lives, stabilise costs, and build a new health infrastructure for seniors.
A Geriatrician at the University Teaching Hospital Benin, Prof. Obehi Akoria, said geriatric medicine is a speciality that focuses on the health care of elderly people. It aims to promote health by preventing and treating diseases and disabilities in older adults.
Akoria said common problems presented by the aged population include hypertension and its complications, heart failures, stroke, and diabetes its complications.
Preventive alternative
Emergency admissions in private hospitals cost between N300,000 and N1,000,000. Multiply that by millions of seniors living with preventable conditions, and the figures spiral into billions annually.
Gerocare’s subscription model is designed to cut that burden. For N25,000 monthly, elderly parents receive home visits, vitals checks, and prescription management. A N35,000 “Doctor on Demand” plan adds round-the-clock access, while annual HMO-style packages up to N770,000 cover chronic disease management and hospital admissions.
Speaking to Vanguatd, co-founder of Gerocare, Dr. Ebi Ofrey explained: “Even at the premium tier, it is still cheaper than two emergency hospital stays. Families pay less, parents stay healthier, and spending becomes predictable.”
Building Invisible Infrastructure
Ofrey said:,’What Gerocare is building is more than a service, it is infrastructure. Since launch, the company has signed up over 30,000 subscribers, deployed 750 doctors across 54 cities, and integrated 1,000 partner labs and pharmacies.
In a country where healthcare delivery is often fragmented, this network itself becomes a competitive moat.
“We like to describe Gerocare as the sibling you leave at home, who does for your parents what you would have done if you were physically present,” Ofrey explained.
The model is simple: children abroad or in other cities pay for subscriptions, while parents receive structured, home-based care. Crucially, the elderly do not have to grapple with technology.
“Mama doesn’t touch the tech. Her child subscribes and manages everything. All she has to do is answer the doctor’s call.”
Diaspora dollars redirected
The Nigerian diaspora remits more than $20 billion annually, with healthcare one of the most common expenses. Traditionally, these funds arrive after emergencies when it is often too late.
Gerocare aims to redirect that money before crises strike. By offering predictable preventive care, it transforms emergency-driven transfers into recurring subscriptions.
The potential is vast. At just two percent penetration of Nigeria’s senior population, Gerocare could serve 400,000 subscribers and generate N120 billion ($150 million) annually. Capturing five percent of diaspora healthcare remittances could create a billion-dollar revenue stream.
Founder’s pain
The company’s mission is deeply personal. Despite being a doctor for more than 20 years, Ofrey recalls losing his father to multiple strokes and watching his mother struggle with unmanaged hypertension and diabetes.
“Research shows that by the age of 45, nearly 90 to 94 percent of Nigerians will have lost one or both parents, mainly due to preventable conditions left untreated,” he said. “Life expectancy in Nigeria is about 55 years. That means by the time most people turn 40 or 45, their parents are already in their 70s or 80s, far beyond the average lifespan.”
These tragedies, he explained, are avoidable with structured preventive care. “What we are building is not just a company but a system that ensures parents live longer, healthier lives—and children spend less time panicking, and more time enjoying their loved ones.”
Fighting loneliness
But medical intervention is not the whole story. Loneliness, Ofrey stressed is an under-recognised threat. “Loneliness is equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day,” he said. To address this, Gerocare is exploring community-based initiatives that allow young people to volunteer as caregivers or companions to seniors.
Nigeria’s ageing population is growing rapidly, and so is the financial strain on families. Gerocare’s early move to build a preventive, subscription-based model positions it not just as a company but as part of the country’s emerging healthcare infrastructure.
The question is not whether Nigeria’s elderly population will expand—it will. The question is whether Gerocare can scale quickly enough to meet the need.
Or as Ofrey puts it: “Every young person today will one day grow old. We must treat elderly care as a priority now, because one day, it will be our turn.”
The post Crisis to care: Gerocare reinvents elderly healthcare in Nigeria appeared first on Vanguard News.
