2020 Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Awards

38 GHP / 2020 Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Awards , Tech4Life Enterprises Most Innovative Telemedicine Solutions Design Company 2020 Telemedicine is the use of electronic information to communicate technologies and support healthcare distantly. Termed by Time magazine as “healing by wire” this innovative delivery of health-related services allows long-distance patient and clinician contact and care. We spoke to Dr Shariq Khoja, of Tech4Life Enterprises, to gain a little more insight into this innovative industry. Tech4Life Enterprises is a socially motivated organisation with the aim to make telemedicine accessible to health providers all over the world. The firm’s mission is to improve access to care by strengthening health systems and empowering frontline health workers and communities with affordable, easy-to-use, accurate telemedicine and point-of-care technologies. President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Shariq Khoja, tells us more about the firm and its offering. “We work with governments and health organisations all around the world to introduce telemedicine programmes not only in their larger facilities, but also reaching their remotest locations with limited or no internet. “In addition to this, we also produce cost-effective telemedicine solutions that are easy to implement in all kinds of settings. We not only make innovative telemedicine software and applications (MDConsults Global (R)), but also produce hardware like eSteth Lite Digital Stethoscopes and Sojro telemedicine kits for telemedicine use in all circumstances.” Dr Shariq is an innovator and researcher, gaining his medical degree from Aga Khan University, Contact Details: Contact: Dr. Shariq Khoja Company: Tech4Life Enterprises Web Address: www.tech4lifeenterprises.com and a further MSc and PhD in Health Research and Global eHealth from University of Calgary, Canada. He has led eHealth initiatives in over 10 countries across Asia and Africa, along with leading the PAN Asian Collaboration for evidence-based e-Health Adoption and Application (PANACeA), a network funded by International Development Resource Center Canada for supporting collaborative research in several Asian countries. Dr Shariq explains that, much like an industry, there are challenges and obstacles which must be faced, not least the current pandemic that is sweeping the globe. However, an innovative company such as Tech4Life Enterprises has innovative solutions. “In the time of COVID, we modified our telemedicine kits to introduce a new model, called Sojro4COVID. These telemedicine kits empower frontline health workers and clinicians to screen, triage and manage COVID cases in the communities. The kits contain telemedicine equipment to monitor vital signs, respiratory sounds and ECG, along with a range of telemedicine cameras for dermatology, ENT and Eye examinations. “The biggest challenge for our consumers is the shortage of resources to scale telemedicine programs and the availability of partners who could provide end to end solution and support. Tech4Life works with partners on both these challenges and ensures that scalability is achieved with cost-saving on both capital and operating expenses.” On the other hand, the firm’s biggest success is the demand of its telemedicine equipment, such as digital stethoscopes and telemedicine kits, all over the world - especially in North America, Europe, South Asia, Middle East and East Africa. Tech4Life also has large scale implementations in countries like Kenya, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India to ensure it stays at the forefront of emerging industry developments. “Our company continues to invest in advancing our existing telemedicine solutions and innovating new ones through our own innovation arm as well as through partnerships with Sep201136 other organisations, such as the Center of Mobile Innovation at the Sheridan College in Toronto, YahSAT, World Vision and Aga Khan Development Network. “We are continuing to innovate new point of care technologies that can bring huge impact on the health of the populations around the world. These include non-invasive haemoglobin monitors for managing anaemia, and non-invasive glucometers for managing diabetes in a simple and cost-effective manner.”