As Indians battle the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, the second wave of the Covid-19 Pandemic, Health Tech Start-Ups have come up with some unique solutions.
India is at such a stage where hospital beds and ventilators are in shortage. People are being kept at home and beseeching for oxygen cylinders to live.
While the Government has opened up vaccinations for all above 18 and put a cap on industrial use of oxygen, the situation still isn’t improving.
As of 30th April, India has over 18 million Covid cases with 386 thousand new cases added in the last 24 hours and 3500 plus new deaths. 15 million have recovered from Covid in the country.
The number of active cases is over 3 million of which 4000 are in critical condition. At present, India is witnessing 150 deaths per million of its population. The pandemic epicentre has now shifted to India as the country is adding the highest number of cases and deaths every day shows worldometer.
Amidst the abysmal conditions, people have come together to raise money and help each other while Start-Ups are pulling all resources to solve the problem.
As many as 15 different new Start-Ups are on the loop of the Government’s Start-up India program that includes oxygen and breathing support device start-ups like ABSSTEM Technologies, PPE supplying start-ups, treatment, and cleaning start-ups, etc.
While these are taking time to establish and cater to the requirements, let’s take a look at some Health-Tech Start-ups who are the need of the hour –
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Plasma Matchmaking by TrulyMadly
TrulyMadly is a dating app that has launched a Plasma Matchmaking service last year during the pandemic.
This app scans Covid clusters and updates the database with the details of the plasma donors. They verify the details through API from the Covid19India.org website.
All the details of plasma donors including, their contact details, date of diagnosis, detection, treatment, recovery date risk factors, etc., are shown on the app.
Based on this you are matched with a donor nearest to your location.
As many as 30 lakh people use it monthly. You can use this app to find a plasma donor and even check the details of a donor who you have contacted recently.
This solves the problem of authenticity and verification.
MediBuddy Hospital Bed Tracking
HealthTech Start-up MediBuddy has launched a new feature on their app which helps you locate beds in hospitals.
The monitor tracks the availability of beds in real-time, informing you about the beds available near you.
And as you wait for a bed in the hospital you can get free of charge Covid consultation from a doctor 24/7 for the first 30 minutes.
They also have a vaccination center tracking feature integrated into the system.
MapmyIndia Oxygen Cylinder Tracking
MapmyIndia has launched a feature to track vehicles carrying oxygen cylinders.
With this feature, you can track your booked oxygen cylinders and also the availability of those.
Anyone can use this feature by calling them at +91 9999333223 or emailing them at contact@mapmyindia.com with their vehicle or company details.
Oxygen Monitoring System by Rodic Consultant
This web service developed under the guidance of the FDA and the Medical Education Department of Uttar Pradesh has set up an oxygen monitoring system for Uttar Pradesh.
Through this website, you can directly contact the workers and suppliers of oxygen cylinders along with tracking down the oxygen cylinder that you have booked.
Home COVID Care Set Up by Dozee
This Bengaluru based start-up has made a fine-tune arrangement for Covid detection, consultation, treatment, and monitoring at home.
With ICU beds becoming scarce and more people reaching the critical stage of oxygen support, monitoring is the key now.
With this facility, you can constantly consult a doctor, nurses, and even get an ICU bed set up at home.
Mfine Pulse Oxygen Level Monitoring
HealthTech start-up has added a Mfine Pulse feature on their app by which you can detect your oxygen level just by taking a photograph of your fingertip using a smartphone.
The system has a traffic light kind of color-coded indicator which lets you know when you’re going to be in danger.
This 80% accurate medical-grade technology works by reading the photoplethysmogram (PPG) signal generated by the camera flash of your smartphone when you take the picture of your fingertip.
If your signal is red then you can look for oxygen supplies on the Mfine app.
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Home Care Solutions by Mfine & Portea
HealthTech Start-ups like Portea and Mfine are helping people with home care solutions for Covid treatment.
They are arranging nurses, beds, and oxygen cylinders for patients and as many as 10,000 people have used Portea’s nursing solution.
ICU Grade Ventilators by Nocca Robotics
This Pune based company is supplying an instrument that provides oxygen to the Covid patients.
Their high flow oxygen therapy (HFOT) device is an ICU Grade ventilator that people can use in case they don’t get an ICU bed.
This is ideal for people who are lacking oxygen but don’t need a full-fledged ventilator and can do with basic oxygen support. It’s good for a home care facility.
Doorstep Vaccination Drive by NoBroker
This start-up has started a doorstep Vaccination Drive for housing societies which can be done in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, and Hyderabad.
Already vaccinations have been done in 2 housing societies of Bangalore by ICMR authorized medical personnel’s.
Portable Mini Ventilator by Exalta
New Delhi based start-up Exalta is trying to solve the oxygen shortage issue by launching a portable mini ventilator that comes equipped with an inbuilt oxygen concentrate.
It’s a water-based system giving 1-8 litres of oxygen every minute. It works on water so all you need to do is add water from time to time.
It will create pure oxygen from water by the Pressure Swing Absorption method.
Oxygen Concentrator by IISER, Bhopal
This low-cost oxygen concentrator created by the researchers of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Bhopal makes 95% pure oxygen.
The machine makes 3 litres of oxygen every minute and costs less than INR 20,000.
At present, the cost is around INR 60,000 but the commercial cost is expected to be lower than INR 20,000 as soon as they rope in a mass scale manufacturer.
It’s created to tackle the oxygen shortage in the second wave of the pandemic as part of Govt’s Start-up India program.
Vaccination Help for Elders by Emoha ElderCare
This Start-up is helping the elders with vaccinations and doctor visits.
They arrange the registration and vaccine appointments for the elders if their family members you are out of the city and they can monitor.
Not just that, they even follow up after the vaccination and arrange doctor visits and consultation when needed.
They stay with your people for at least 30 minutes to an hour after the vaccination.
So far, around 500 people in Delhi have been vaccinated this way.
While these are some of the most promising Covid health facilities given by HealthTech start-ups, there is a need for plenty of efforts to mobilize people and raise money to buy oxygen cylinders and beds.
Nearly every person and start-up in the country like Zomato, Delhivery, Uber, Tata Group, etc., are working to facilitate the sourcing, transportation, and delivery of oxygen cylinders and other medical equipment.
Last year it was about masks and sanitizers as testing and prevention were the keys elements of the pandemic. This year, India comes together for oxygen and beds as we learn monitoring is equally important.
So, stay at home. Stay Safe.
And remember to mask up and register for vaccination.
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