09 December 2022 | Opinion | By Sanjiv Das
Telehealth and telemedicine are becoming a common inclusion for healthcare providers with increased attention to the quality and outcomes of virtual care, As a result, many global players are upping the game in this space. Of the many, Medix Global, with offices in India, London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Melbourne, and Tel Aviv, is developing strong credentials for providing customers with fast track solutions to the right diagnosis and optimised treatment pathways. During a recent visit to India, Sigal Atzmon, CEO and Founder of Medix Global spoke to BioSpectrum about the company's growth plans within Asia in 2023.
What will be your latest innovations in the chronic disease management space in India, especially rural areas?
Medix has been ahead of the curve, providing virtual health and medical management services that challenge convention and foster innovation. Medix India was launched in July 2020. The company’s Early Detection and Prevention provides a comprehensive service to prevent diseases years before they appear, in addition to our Personal Medical Case Management and Rehabilitation Service is yet another step in our expansion across India. The aim is to provide tailored guidance in the patient’s health journey.
The COVID-19 pandemic created further demand for digital health solutions and Medix services in particular. Specifically, for India, we see 2023 as a very important year for us and are looking forward to setting up additional offices in India and launching additional digital health services specifically focused on the Indian market, especially in rural areas. We see services that focus on prevention as a major opportunity.
Which disease areas are you currently focusing on?
As part of our prevention service provided for customers in India will majorly focus on personalised assessment and tools to manage one’s risk to develop and/or early detect and prevent cancer, cardiovascular, stroke and diabetes. With the prevalence of diabetes and cardiovascular conditions in India, we see significant potential for this service which will provide tangible and actionable added value and impact to both individuals and communities.
The company’s service offerings vary slightly depending on the market, but the range of services includes, Personal Medical Case Management & Navigation; Rehabilitation, Disease Prevention Management Services; Medical Concierge & Medical Tourism and Digital Health & AI-Driven Solutions and last but nit least, mental health and behavioural management.
What are your investment plans for the Indian market, in terms of opening new facilities and hiring local talent?
In India, we now have offices in Mumbai and Delhi. In the next 12 to 18 months, we will begin looking to expand operations in another few major cities, and hiring additional talent while utilising a large pan-India digital infrastructure for telemedicine and off-line medical solutions.
On the business front in India, we recently partnered with TATA AIA to give its customers access to our unique personal medical case management services supporting their customers in reaching the right diagnosis, choosing the best possible treatment while also having access to Medix local and global network of quality accredited medical specialists to manage their medical care for serious illnesses. .
Taking it a step further to the launch of early disease detection services related to chronic diseases, the company plans to introduce additional services including, elderly-focused care solutions, the interactive Medix Healthcare app, mental health support and employee health services. We are actively in communication with some of the largest businesses/employers, financial groups, consumer facing conglomerates and insurance providers to connect with patients in India.
How do you foresee the company's growth in Asia? What are the plans in store for the APAC market?
APAC has been a major area of focus for Medix Global. India is a key and crucial market for us, and we have a planned strategy for growth from both a geographic and services portfolio perspective. We are proud to collaborate with the region’s leading partners and different stakeholders in the ecosystem. Our service offerings are very much in line with the recent announcements and plans from both the federal and state levels in India that are focusing on the digitalization of the healthcare industry. We appreciate the increased insurance penetration and believe this trend will continue. The main force behind accessibility and affordability will be digital health.
Since opening our first office in Hong Kong in 2013, we have focused on expanding in Asia. We intend to introduce more digital health services tailored to the APAC market.
Sanjiv Das