# What should a clinic check before offering teletherapy?

URL: https://tymirahealth.com/resources/faqs/what-should-african-clinics-consider-before-offering-teletherapy
For: Clinicians | Mental health practice | Last reviewed 23 July 2026

**Answer:** Before offering teletherapy, make sure your clinic can run the whole workflow, not just a video call. You need recorded consent for virtual care, privacy checks for patients in shared homes, a backup plan for dropped calls, a local escalation pathway, and payment and receipt steps that work with M-Pesa. Confirm provider scope and data handling, then test the full journey on low-cost phones and mobile data with staff before booking real patients.

### In more detail

Teletherapy changes how the whole service runs, from booking to follow-up. Patients may share phones, lose signal mid-session or pay after the call.

- Agree a dropped-call rule, such as calling a backup number within two minutes, and record interruptions so billing and follow-up stay accurate.
- Use reminders that do not reveal the nature of the appointment on a shared device.
- Decide when remote care is not enough: no private space, unsafe connectivity, a need for in-person assessment, or a patient outside the clinician's practising area.
- Outside Nairobi, confirm local referral options and emergency contacts for each area you serve.

Read the full guide: [Secure and Compliant Teletherapy Workflows](https://tymirahealth.com/resources/blog/secure-and-compliant-teletherapy-workflows)

> **Important:** This Knowledge Hub article is operational education. It does not diagnose, treat, replace professional care, or provide legal advice. Local clinical, privacy, and compliance review should guide live clinic use.

> **Important:** If there is immediate danger or a medical emergency, contact emergency services now. In Kenya, call 999, 112 or 911. Outside Kenya, use the emergency number for your location.

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**About Tymira Health:** Tymira Health is a healthcare technology company based in Nairobi, Kenya. It builds Tymira360, a practice management and EHR platform for mental health, physiotherapy and dental providers, clinics, hospitals, NGOs and insurers across Africa.

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