Bringing World-Class Care Solutions to the Home

MALAYSIA – In the near future, keeping a health monitoring system would become more affordable, says Teoh Seng Jing CEO of Mobile Health Sdn Bhd. Individuals and families who need to keep track of their basic medical measurements of vital signs could subscribe on a monthly plan just similar to cable and Internet subscription.

In collaboration with HSC Medical Centre, Mobile Health recently developed MediHome, a self-monitoring system that can be set up at home to enable people to take charge of their health. The company is currently in talks with local communications providers to materialise this goal. Once it gets implemented, said Teoh, Malaysians will enjoy continuous, real-time health diagnosis.

“This can help detect the onset of diseases, save lives and cut healthcare costs,” he adds.

According to Teoh, the system removes the inconveniences of taking a chronically ill patient for regular hospital visits, waiting in queue or dealing with high costs of engaging a nurse or doctore to make home visits. Showing us (HCA) how to use a MediHome Station, Teo tapped on the screen which had animated instructions on it. “It is very easy to use because the device features a clear colour screen, large tactile buttons and supports multiple languages. It can support up to five users in a family and each user has a password.”

MediHome enables the user to monitor their vital signs such as ECG, blood pressure, blood glucose, oximetry, etc. daily. All the information and results is then stored electronically and securely and can be retrieved by any participating hospitals through their mobile phone or computer. The system supports Bluetooth, USB and cable and transmits data through WiFi, Ethernet (LAN), and modem.

“The Internet and the widespread use of mobile devices are changing the way patients want to be treated,” explained Teoh. “People want to take charge of their own health at affordable cost.”

He further adds that “Some remote health monitoring is already available in other countries, but the perfection of such systems is still elusive. When we developed this solution, we encountered some challenges but the potential benefit is huge, and of increasing importance with an aging population. It is feasible to see more of these systems available.”

Malaysia is likely to reach an ageing nation status by 2035 with the number of people above the age of 60 reaching 15% of the population, according to statistics from Malaysia’s Welfare Department.

In Singapore, meanwhile, the republic is set to be the world’s third- fastest ageing nation, as the proportion of those aged 65 and above will double to 20% in 2020.

More hospital and academic partnerships

To date, Mobile Health is moving towards fitting the MediHome device at hospitals, pharmacies, homes for the elderly, fitness centres and government agencies such as as social welfare centres.

Recently, Mobile Health inked a deal with University of Malaya (UM). In this partnership, the company’s MH2U system will be used as a platform for health informatics research at UM, while UM will provide insight and advice on products enhancements and improvements, as well as collaborating to develop new modules and functions.

Last year, the company made an agreement with Multimedia University (MMU) to train their staff and post-graduate students to install and use MH2U system for its health informatics research. In return, MMU will provide insigh and advice on product enhancements and improvements, as well as collaborate with Mobile Health in developing new modules and functions.

About 3 years ago, the company received a grant from Malaysia Multimedia Development Corp. (MDeC) for R&D to develop the MobileHealth2U portal, MH2U iPhone and J2ME MID-let applications, which enable patients to retrieve medical data through hand phones.