Friday, October 12, 2012

“Where’s My Doctor” triumphs at Startup Weekend 3rd Edition; Founders talk how technology can save lives by using a mobile app


“I’m not feeling well today” says Jen. She gets the thermometer and finds out she has high fever! Apart from this, she tells her mom about her headache, eye pain and muscle aches. Jen discovers that there have been several incidents of dengue cases in their area.

“I need to see a Doctor. But, I only have my mobile phone and I want the nearest hospital or clinic.”


Patient in the Hospital. Photo Credit: ABC News Radio

Accessibility in healthcare is a significant problem for Filipinos that needs to be addressed. Even by calling hospital trunk lines, people queue to confirm schedules, availability and appointments. Oftentimes, they find out that doctors are not available for checkups.

"Every minute matters especially for emergency cases. Being informed of the nearest doctor available at the soonest possible time can save lives!"

Doctor checks Patient. Photo Credit: Mercola.com
                                    

“Where’s My Doctor” aims to address this issue. By using a mobile application, users simply enter keywords (i.e, fever, cardiologist) in the search bar. The app customizes user search which then shows a list of doctors to choose from.

“People can look for doctors near them with the app’s location-based filters. Our aim is to help people find doctors they need in a timely and efficient way.Users can even see Medical Specialists(i.e. Gynecologist, Neurologist) available for consultation” says Mich Ang and Rai Escarez of WMD Startup. Moreover, with a tap of a finger, patients can directly contact their preferred doctors instantly.


Where's My Doctor Team
After placing 1st and getting the people’s choice award at the recent Startup Weekend, the team aims to make their innovative idea to a viable business for the service of the people and medical professionals. The startup will focus on doctor listings, where physicians can enlist their details for a minimal amount. In return, their services and information will be visible to patients via mobile.

The 54-hour Startup event allowed the team to create a working app both for Android and iOS. They have also successfully enlisted doctors as initial clients for professional listings.  The team had another milestone by using the influence of Social Media. They were able to generate a fair amount of likes, comments and views at Facebook, Twitter and Blogger further validating the need for doctors to be at arm’s reach.

Driven by passion and vision, Where’s My Doctor hopes to make things brighter for Filipinos and the Philippine health care industry.

Saturday, September 29, 2012

"Where's My Doctor" brings Filipino Doctors closer to Patients (Case Closed: I found the doctor for you!)


The dilemma of finding physicians(in nearby location and correct specialization) is a common challenge for Filipinos. People spend long hours over the phone to confirm a doctor's schedule. Worst, they get transferred to different departments only to find out that the Doctor is on leave or is doing rounds in a different medical facility.

In hospitals, patients locate doctors by scanning a mind-wreaking list of medical professionals in the local display board.

As a result, the process of matching a readily available doctor is inconvenient and agitating.

Patients are meant to get well when they go to hospitals right?

Tech Startup "Where's My Doctor" make doctors accessible to patients in just one click. Using a mobile application and web platform, people simply enters a keyword in the searchbox. Filters are then prompted to make a specified search of medical professionals.

The group's advocacy is to expedite medical attention for patients by making a direct contact to doctors through a filtered search framework.

"What's the Roadmap for your Startup?"

This is the most frequently asked question by Startup mentors of the team. Apart from direct listing of medical practitioners, members where advised to integrate Geolocation features to find doctors and hospitals easily.

The app and web innovation can be a major breakthrough in the medical field. It will make the lives of people and allied health professionals accessible.