“Technology and mobility will play a crucial role in revolutionising the healthcare system and propelling the next phase of growth in India,” says Annie Mathew, Director, Alliances and Business Development, BlackBerry. In conversation with Abhishek Raval.
BlackBerry is planning to launch a healthcare platform in India. How is the project progressing?
We are currently holding discussions with healthcare solution providers and hospitals regarding the trials of NantHealth Clinical OS and the integration of the devices and apps that healthcare facilities are using. BlackBerry sees immense potential in the healthcare sector. Recently we made an investment in NantHealth, whose IT solutions are installed in about 250 hospitals. The NantHealth platform connects more than 16,000 medical devices and collects 3 billion vital signs annually. The reliability, security and versatility of BlackBerry’s end-to-end solutions will add incredible value to NantHealth’s solutions for the healthcare sector.
In what ways is BlackBerry helping the Railway Hospital and Hiranandani Hospital to improve their services?
The Railway Hospital is using Maestros Rhythms 24×7 eUNO, which has a remote ECG solution and securely transmits ECG data to medical professionals on their BlackBerry 10 device. This solution can be deployed across different scenarios of healthcare, including ambulances, community centers, primary health centres, and even in the homes of the patients. Hiranandani Hospital has implemented a mobile telemedicine application, which allows medical professionals to remotely monitor the patient’s health and provide care remotely. The mobile telemedicine app developed by UST Global, under the guidance of Hiranandani Hospital and BlackBerry India team, provides access to qualified doctors. Through telemedicine, the patients living in rural areas can gain access to quality treatments without having to travel to cities.
How will the QNX and NantHealth acquisitions help in equipping BlackBerry for coming up with solutions that are specially targeted at the Indian healthcare sector?
We believe technology and mobility will play a crucial role in revolutionising the healthcare system and propelling it to the next phase of growth in India. There is a huge urban-rural divide, when it comes to healthcare services. Healthcare teams deserve an easier way of treating patients in remote locations. The next generation of the NantHealth Box, which is a portable medical device for capturing and transmitting secure medical data between the patient, doctor and the hospital, will be powered by the QNX Software System, which is wholly owned by BlackBerry.
In what ways is IoT transforming healthcare? What kind of changes can IoT bring in the ways by which the hospitals are managed?
IoT is already incorporated in a broad range of healthcare applications. It is being deployed for the management of several healthcare issues, ranging from the cure of chronic diseases to preventing the disease. Hospitals are often understaffed and over-populated, but this is an issue that plagues the quality of healthcare in the entire world. Earlier it was difficult for the nurses and doctors to conduct round the clock monitoring of the patient, but with IoT the monitoring systems are easy to develop. For instance, the BlackBerry HBox makes it easy for the healthcare staff to gain access to the patient’s data.
What kind of healthcare services can we expect from the BlackBerry Passport?
BlackBerry Passport and NantHealth, have launched a genome browser on the Passport, which gives doctors access to the patient’s genetic data. Oncologists can view individual genetic alternations that make the patient’s disease unique. It also highlights the relevant treatment option.