The First Sino-India JV for Advancement in Telemedicine

In this post I will talk about how India and China, two of the fastest growing economies in the world, are collectively working together in the field of telemedicine. The population of these two countries poses an attractive domestic market for telemedicine. At the same time, the advancement in technologies in both software and hardware positioned India and China to enter and compete internationally in the telemedicine industry.

In September 17, 2007 the first ever Sino-India Joint Venture (JV) in telemedicine research and services was formed in Kunming, Yunnan, China¹. The JV is called Sunpa Sobha Software (China) Ltd (3S) and is formed by Sobha Renaissance Information Technology (SRIT) from India and Yunnan Sunpa Image Tel Tech Co. Ltd (Sunpa) from China². With a registered capital of $1 million and more than 200 employees, 3S will be based in Kunming and have offices in four Chinese cities, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen². 60% of the capital investment was from Sunpa and 40% from SRIT². However, SRIT is planning to invest $20 million in the Chinese telemedicine field in the years to come².

This JV will combine the SRIT's flagship Software Products, “Renaissance Care Magnum” and “Renaissance rChive” and Sunpa’s telemedicine peripherals and devices to benefit patients and hospitals in both India and China³. In the future, Chinese hospitals will gain access to SRIT’s expertise in Clinical, Radiological, Diagnostic and Medical Imaging software³. At the same time Sunpa’s signature tele-vital sign monitoring, tele-dermatology, tele-pathology devices will bring advancement in telemedicine to India³.

The two parties are both very optimistic about the future of 3S with projected revenue of $100 million by 2010². I believe this is a realistic goal given the population in both India and China. Also as internationally recognized software, SRIT, and hardware provider, Sunpa, in telemedicine, both companies already established extensive network both domestically in India and China and internationally in regions like South Africa and Southeast Asia⁴, this JV could also play an important role to explore international markets.

The following video provides more details about 3S and the two joinging parties.

Reference:
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_0V5mZmXoc
2. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2007-09/21/content_6125374.htm
3. http://www.renaissance-it.com/srit2/corporate/site/en/Sunpa_Sobha_Postevent_media.html

Implications from Rwanda - Mobile Technology and Telemedicine

In January 2011, I was fortunate enough to spend three weeks in Rwanda for the Innovation for Humanity project. As a Chinese native I thought I understand what emerging market means. However this trip proved me wrong not only I see more opportunities in Rwanda but also I identified areas from which China should learn.

The use of mobile technology to provide better healthcare is one of these areas. The benefits of mobile health comes in two layers - providing better quality healthcare and covering more patients in rural areas. From auditing the process of my client, a private clinic in Kigali, I learnt that all of its patients have cell phones. To better serve patients with chronic disease such as Malaria, doctors needed to keep track of the progress and conditions of these patients. One way, and the most common way, to do this is to require the patients to re-visit periodically. However every few patients do so because the time spent on traveling was too long and the cost of transportation was high. The doctors at this clinic envisioned using mobile phones as the mean to check the status of patients and deliver health care services. Upon finishing streamlining its operations, raising enough funds to cover the communication cost of using mobile technology might be a very attractive project for us next year.

Although private clinics were facing funding hurdles to realize telemedicine using mobile phones, the public healthcare system has already achieved this goal. A good example is the mHealth initiative, where communicate healthcare workers were provided with mobile phones. In Rwandan healthcare system, Community Healthcare Centers are the basic level that were supported by volunteers, called community healthcare workers. Their job is to visit rural area families to provide basic healthcare services and gather information. Enabled by these cell phones, community healthcare workers are now able to send text messages to Community Healthcare Centers or larger Referral Hospitals with the health conditions and healthcare needs of the patients. In this way needed health care services would be provided in an accurate and timely manner.

The case in Rwanda reminded us that telemedicine does not require sophisticated technology. Basic mobile technology could solve challenges faced by many developing countries.

Kicking off......with A Personal Experience

Even with limited knowledge and experiences in ICT, I did not consume too many neurons to figure out that Telemedicine, enabled by advancement in ICT, will eventually re-structure how health care services are delivered. According to American Telemedicine Association (ATA), Telemedicion is defined as the exchange of medical information from one site to another through information and communication technologies with the aim to improve the treatment of patients.

Although I have been hearing about various cases where patients' lives had been saved through the collective efforts of doctors, surgeons, and specailists via telemedicine, my first personal encounter to this method was in a cloudy day in 2007 when I went to Jinxiang Pharmacy, the largest chain in Beijing, but forgot my perscription from the doctor. Just as I was scratching my head, one of the pharmacist asked about my symptoms and told me that I could get a new perscription in the pharmacy. Noticed my confusion and hesitation, the pharmacist told me that vedioconferencing was available through which I could consult with licensed doctors. Unwilling to drive back to the hospital because of the traffic and waiting, I tried this new technology and after 20 minutes I was able to go home with the same perscribed drugs without any hassle.

Although only limited diagnose and care could be provided through this vedioconferencing technology in this pharmacy, it allowed many patients to avoid the crowdness and waiting in a regular public hospital. This service has been a good complementarity to Jinxiang's online order and free delivery services for OTC drugs.

Instead of going through all the hassle in terms of traffic and waiting as well as the risk of cross-infection at hospitals, now patients could get their medication at home or within walking distance because Jinxiang is everywhere. Using telemedicine together with other ICT technologies, Jinxiang becomes the real one-stop basic healthcare center for a large number patients in Beijing.