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Patient Terms & Telemedicine Consent

Version 1.1 · Effective 13 July 2026

These Patient Terms apply to you when you use Lonia as a patient (or as a parent/guardian managing care for a dependant). They form part of your agreement with Lonia together with the Platform Terms of Service and the Privacy Policy. Where these Patient Terms add to or differ from the Platform Terms for patients, these apply.

By ticking the acceptance box, you confirm you have read and agree to these terms and give informed consent to receive care through telemedicine as described below.

1. The nature and limits of telemedicine

Telemedicine means receiving healthcare remotely — by video, audio, chat, or WhatsApp — rather than in person. You should understand and accept that:

  • a remote consultation cannot fully replace an in-person physical examination, and the practitioner relies on the information you provide and on what can be observed remotely;
  • the practitioner may decide that your condition cannot be safely assessed or treated remotely and may ask you to attend an in-person facility or seek further tests;
  • there are technology risks — a call may drop, audio/video may be poor, or a delay may occur. If a consultation is interrupted, try to reconnect; if you cannot, contact support and, where a paid consultation could not be delivered, you may be eligible for a refund or rescheduling;
  • diagnoses, prescriptions and advice are based on the information available at the time, and incomplete or inaccurate information may affect the outcome — please be complete and truthful.

2. Not for emergencies

Do not use Lonia for emergencies. Telemedicine is not appropriate for urgent or life-threatening situations (for example chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding, stroke symptoms, suicidal crisis, or serious injury). In an emergency, call your local emergency number or go to the nearest hospital immediately.

3. Your responsibilities

  • Provide accurate, complete and current information about your identity, symptoms, medical history, allergies and current medications.
  • Be in a private, safe and adequately-lit location with a stable connection for video consultations, and be able to verify your identity to the practitioner.
  • Follow the advice and follow-up instructions you are given, and seek in-person or emergency care when advised or when your condition worsens.
  • For dependants: if you book on behalf of a minor or another person, you confirm you are their parent, guardian or otherwise authorised to consent to their care and to share their health information.

4. The professional relationship

  • Consultations are provided by licensed practitioners whom Lonia has vetted and onboarded (doctors, consultants and therapists — the hospital's own clinicians and vetted external specialists). The clinical judgement in your consultation is the treating practitioner's professional responsibility.
  • A practitioner may decline or discontinue a consultation where it is clinically inappropriate, where you are abusive, or where remote care is not safe.
  • Prescriptions are issued at the practitioner's clinical discretion and are valid only when digitally signed by the issuing practitioner. A practitioner is not obliged to prescribe any particular medicine.

5. Medication, lab tests and home services

  • Medication ordered through the Platform is dispensed and delivered by our licensed pharmacy partners, who are registered with the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) and NAFDAC, fulfil orders through a network of partner pharmacies, and are responsible for safe dispensing. Lonia coordinates ordering, payment and delivery. A platform delivery fee applies and is shown before you pay. Some medicines display a "consult recommended" note; this is guidance, not a substitute for professional advice.
  • Lab tests (where available) and home services are delivered by partner laboratories and health workers. Sample collection, results, and care are their responsibility; Lonia coordinates booking and payment.
  • Always read medicine labels and a professional's instructions. Tell your practitioner about allergies and other medicines you take.

6. Payments, cancellations and refunds

  • You pay for services through the Platform before they are delivered. Lonia holds funds in escrow and releases the provider's share only after the service is delivered or completed.
  • Cancellations: you may cancel an appointment before it begins. If you cancel more than 24 hours before the scheduled start, you receive a full refund. If you cancel within 24 hours of the start, the fee is not refunded — but you may instead reschedule for free (at any time before the appointment) rather than cancel. An unpaid booking can always be cancelled with nothing to forfeit.
  • If you miss your appointment (patient no-show): if you do not join a consultation or attend a session you booked, your fee is not refunded — it is forfeited in full. For doctor and consultant consultations, a no-show is only recorded after the practitioner has attended and waited at least 15 minutes (or you did not join before the consultation window ended).
  • If the practitioner does not attend (provider no-show): you can reschedule at no extra cost with any available doctor — your payment is held and applied to the rescheduled consultation. If a practitioner also fails to attend that rescheduled consultation, you may instead take a full refund.
  • Connection problems: if a consultation cannot proceed because of technical or connection issues, you can reschedule at no extra cost with the same or any other available doctor — your payment is held and applied to the new booking. If the rescheduled consultation is again disrupted, you may instead take a full refund.
  • Orders (medication, lab tests, home services): where a paid order could not be fulfilled, or is cancelled in line with the terms shown at checkout, the amount held for it is refunded.
  • How refunds are processed: refunds are returned to your original payment method, in line with applicable consumer-protection law (including the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018).

7. Records, privacy and consent

  • Your consultations, prescriptions and related data are stored as part of your medical record and handled in accordance with the Privacy Policy and the National Health Act 2014.
  • By accepting, you consent to your relevant health information being shared with the practitioner, pharmacy, laboratory or health worker involved in your care, and to Lonia processing it to provide the services.
  • You may withdraw consent or request erasure of your data as described in the Privacy Policy, subject to records we are legally required to retain.
  • Do not record a consultation without the practitioner's consent.

8. Reviews and conduct

You may be invited to review a service. Reviews must be honest and lawful. Abusive, threatening, or fraudulent behaviour toward practitioners, partners, or staff may lead to suspension of your account.

9. Acknowledgement

By ticking the acceptance box at registration you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to these Patient Terms, the Platform Terms, and the Privacy Policy, and that you give informed consent to telemedicine care and to the processing of your health data as described.