SINGAPORE- You can now consult a doctor from the comforts of your bed, thanks to MyDoc, a mobile and web platform that connects patients with local healthcare professionals.
The digital healthcare platform links patients directly to multiple healthcare providers such as general practitioners, specialists, hospitals and nursing homes.
The mobile app and web platform allows users to virtually consult a doctor or pharmacist through various means, including instant messaging.
MyDoc also enables secure and efficient information sharing between providers about their patients. For example, if you have done your check-up at a clinic, you would not need to go down physically to collect your medical report and scans. The clinic and your doctor will be able to provide the relevant results and information via MyDoc.
"As a patient, you have to deal with the hospitals, you go to the doctor or clinic and then separately, you have to deal with the insurer. Then, you might have to deal with the pharmacy. You might have to go back to clinic to collect your lab data. What MyDoc did was to address this issue of inefficiency in healthcare and put the entire care co-ordination network onto one platform," said Mr Chen Terng Shing, 31, vice president of marketing for the Singapore start-up.
Companies using MyDoc include Guardian Pharmacy, which provides their customers with direct access to pharmacists and AXA Insurance, which allows policy holders to access an online concierge service, including making doctors' appointments.
MyDoc was among 50 innovations and start-ups showcased at NTUitive Homecoming 2016 on Friday (Aug 19) at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
The event brought together 500 visitors, consisting of industry players, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, faculty and students.
Dr Lim Jui, chief executive officer of NTUitive, NTU's innovation and enterprise arm, said: "Over the part three years, NTUitive has started and incubated 120 spin-off and start-up companies, filed 1,339 patents, commercialised 170 technologies and have secured over $5 million in funding for our start-ups."
MyDoc is one of the NTU incubated start-ups.
It has secured S$3 million in funding from investors, including Spring Singapore and established itself in Singapore, Malaysia and Sri Lanka.
Other start-ups and spin-offs presented at the event include a robotic arm meant for therapeutic massage, and a motion sensor drone calibrated for search and rescue missions.
Dr Koh Poh Koon, Minister of State for National Development and Trade and Industry, said he was pleased to see many of the start-ups headed by young entrepreneurs.
But he reminded them that the journey will not always be smooth.
Dr Koh, the event's guest of honour, said: "Embracing failure is the most important thing that our young start-ups need to learn. Whether a new or established business, there will always be downturns. You need to learn how to face these failures and challenges head on and try again."
