Emerging nations face a number of challenges, including access to clean water, healthcare, and the economy. Due to inadequate infrastructure, a severe shortage of specialists, and a quickly expanding population, the healthcare industry suffers greatly. IntriHealth, led by Mike Simpson, was founded as a deft combination of experience and unwavering devotion. Its goal was to close the gap that existed between patients facing difficult circumstances and medical professionals.
Through the use of cutting-edge technology, IntriHealth has been leading the way in healthcare since 2011. The organization, which is a prominent supplier of diagnostic solutions in Africa, offers a wide range of services spanning over 40 installations, including radiology departments, imaging centers, women’s healthcare, and operational healthcare for the mining industry.
It’s important to remember that IntriHealth is not an expert in creating cutting-edge technologies from the ground up. Instead, capitalizing on Mike’s knowledge, the business carefully looks for cutting-edge, compatible technology, conducts in-depth research, and devises the most effective, efficient approach to use tech, ultimately changing the face of healthcare in Africa.
Mike made an investment in a medical startup that had a Vendor Neutral Archive (VNA) solution ready but not yet operational after starting a venture capital firm. After that, the program was integrated into IntriHealth, which was a crucial step in developing the Teleradiology platform. The VNA was only successfully deployed by IntriHealth, the first and only company to do so outside of North America.
Mike also points out that one of IntriHealth’s biggest achievements to date has been the introduction of the capability to see radiological pictures from any mobile device. About eight years ago, a novel technology was put into place that allows patients and professionals to view radiological pictures on the screen of any mobile device.
For IntriHealth, the only way to deliver completely integrated healthcare, particularly in developing countries, is to fully utilize contemporary technology. “There is one radiologist for every hundreds of thousands of people in South Africa, and the situation is even worse in developing nations,” Mike says. “Few competent radiologists opt to stay in their hometowns of small towns after years of schooling, arduous labor, and certification acquisition.”
Knowing that attempting to persuade radiologists to return to rural areas is fruitless, IntriHealth approaches the issue in a novel way by concentrating on offering studies, research, knowledge, and a special method of patient connection. To ease the burden of sending large image files to physicians, IntriHealth established a Teleradiology Station, which serves as the company’s central hub.
“Reaching outlying areas and providing radiologists with healthcare and imaging in remote locales is undoubtedly the main objective. It’s all about getting it to the proper people and making sure the gap is filled now that we located the software and integrated it into our system, adds Mike. Through telemedicine, IntriHealth keeps developing, keeping this at the center of its philosophy. This platform offers a way to close the increasing gap in rural areas’ access to primary healthcare. Nurses working in these communities are empowered by telemedicine to help patients engage in vital signs taking, filling out questionnaires, and talking about their present problems. The nurses then put this data onto the platform so that doctors who are located far away can view this patient data.
With over 4 million studies available, IntriHeath is the largest collection of health records and studies in Africa and is a forerunner in the medical profession, setting the standard for clinical imaging technology. The innovative business also developed AimeX (AI Medical Imaging Exchange), a state-of-the-art solution meant to automate laborious procedures. IntriHealth just started developing IntriFund, a blockchain-based crowdfunding platform. As Mike noted, a lot of donors and investors are hesitant to back companies in rural Africa. They hardly ever know where their money goes or is utilized for since there are inadequate restrictions in place. IntriFund seeks to address that issue by promoting total openness.
According to Mike, a major obstacle to deploying technology in poor nations is the general lack of faith that people have in it. According to Mike, “many of the residents we’ve worked with have never heard of AI and other tech developments.” “We frequently purchase contemporary technology, make it simpler, and then bring it to rural areas. Introducing the newest, high-tech inventions would be overwhelming for the citizens of emerging nations, who hardly know anything about technology. With IntriHealth, the focus is on outcome-based solutions and expanding access to healthcare through the use of less complex technology that can be used in developing nations, rather than on showcasing ostentatious, amazing technology.
