In the last decade, technological advances in healthcare have made significant inroads in India. However, progress has been confined to the metros and larger urban areas. In rural areas, the challenges are many: limited access, poor sanitation, a dearth of skilled workers and a lack of uninterrupted power supply. In response, India has witnessed a rise in healthtech businesses, leveraging cutting edge technologies to bridge the access gap to high quality healthcare.
While healthtech is steadily making its way to socio-economically disadvantaged communities in rural India, Indian healthcare startups continue to face challenges such as regulatory hurdles, a fragmented and competitive sector, as well as low awareness and adoption of digital technologies. The crowded market also makes it difficult for these startups to share their stories and avail the support they need to amplify their impact.
Finding the right tools, technical support, and guidance from domain experts will be the key to empowering healthcare startups that are working on devices and solutions for rural healthcare.
The MathWorks Accelerator Program caters to startups across 20+ industries. In the healthcare sector, it aims to advance the development of healthcare and medical device startups by nurturing innovation and growth. The program offers free access to industry-proven software, technical expertise, and guidance by domain experts.
Enabling accessible healthcare for all
The rise in chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiac disease and cancer means the need for life-saving, affordable healthcare is more urgent than ever. India’s large and rapidly growing population further necessitates a demand for scalable solutions that can reach a widespread audience. The emergence of key technological advancements such as telemedicine, data analytics, and artificial intelligence has created unique opportunities for healthtech startups to revolutionize rural healthcare in India. Medical device and healthcare startups are working tirelessly to address these accessibility gaps, with technology at the forefront.
The flourishing Indian healthcare landscape provides fertile ground for innovation, and the MathWorks Startup and Accelerator Program equips startups with crucial resources to help them develop robust technologies that create widespread social impact.
MathWorks is enabling medical device and healthcare startups to develop accessible healthcare services for remote and rural areas across the country.
Designing, developing, and deploying medical devices
MATLAB and Simulink offer a complete functional workflow that aids startups in developing groundbreaking medical devices and digital health applications compliant with regulations such as IEC 62304.
Startups can design, develop, and simulate a variety of critical medical device applications, while complying with industry regulations and standards. Engineers, researchers, and scientists are empowered to create therapeutic devices, medical imaging algorithms and devices, patient monitoring devices and Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) applications in the cloud at scale, hearing aids and cochlear implants, surgical devices and robots, and AI-based in vitro devices.
Startups across the globe have leveraged MathWorks tools to create solutions such as wearable devices, personalized brain stimulation therapy, and anti-tremor devices. German healthtech startup Sync2brain used tools such as Simulink Real Time to create a real-time digital signal processor, which can swiftly deliver accurate information via Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, at specific brain phases, for personalized treatment of neuropsychiatric diseases like depression or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
In India, MathWorks support has changed the trajectory of many startups, including iMedrix and PlebC Innovations, enabling preventative cardiac care and accessible ultrasound procedures for millions in rural regions.
Powering AI-based cardiac care in every corner of India
According to data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), India has witnessed a 12.5% increase in heart attack cases in 2022. Additionally, cardiovascular disease has emerged as the leading cause of death across India, including in remote and rural areas.
iMedrix, a healthcare startup specializing in cardiac care, developed its flagship solution with the aid of MathWorks. Its Mobile ECG solution is powered by best-in-class signal processing developed using MathWorks tools and has received 510k clearance from the USFDA. The partnership helped accelerate the product conceptualization, design and deployment by giving iMedrix access to a suite of solutions. Additionally, MathWorks® provided the startup with deployment solutions, facilitating the launch of these AI solutions and keeping them compliant.
The startup, which has been operational in India for the last four years, has
impacted close to 1 million lives by detecting heart disease early, leading to chronic care management and emergency care. The solution enables Indians in remote areas access quality cardiac care. The Mobile ECG solution is fuelled by state-of-the-art AI components, which enables semi-skilled health care workers to provide necessary services, bridging the skill gaps in rural healthcare.
“We believe in moving the data, not the patient,” said Rajaram Shastri, VP and Co-founder, iMedrix..
The AI-powered solution also functions as a decision support system, aiding doctors and physicians in prioritizing and managing workloads.
Bringing robotic ultrasound scans to rural regions
Ultrasounds are incredibly effective in the early detection of a variety of conditions, for emergency care, and for monitoring fetal health. A timely ultrasound can improve healthcare outcomes and save lives in remote or resource-limited regions. However, 2 out of 3 people worldwide lack access to ultrasound services. Furthermore, traditional ultrasounds require the physical presence of a radiologist on site to operate the ultrasound. 80% of India’s radiologists live in urban areas. In order to facilitate a greater number of remote ultrasounds, PlebC Innovations developed a unique Tele Operated Robotic Ultrasound System (TORUS).
TORUS enables radiologists to perform ultrasound scans remotely, addressing the crucial shortage of skilled radiologists in rural areas and cutting down patient travel and waiting time. One radiologist can operate and perform an ultrasound for multiple centres without changing his/ her location.
“MathWorks products helped in analyzing and enabling precise simulations and modelling, crucial for developing and refining the TORUS system. Their training and technical support ensured our team could maximize these tools’ potential and accelerate our product development,” said Dr Krishna Prasad, Founder PlebC Innovations.
Catalyzing growth in the startup industry
The MathWorks Accelerator Program offers an in-kind software sponsorship for startups in a partner accelerator program. To date, the program has partnered with more than 500 accelerators partners globally, with 200+ in India, offering free licensing to startups.
The program features include eligibility for 10 licences for MathWorks tools based on their team size and requirements. It lifts the burden of IT administration and costs from the accelerators and startups it supports. Participants are regarded as full commercial customers, and are given comprehensive access to tools such as MATLAB® and Simulink®. The Accelerator Program offers crucial support from application engineers and technical support, and enhances a startup’s capabilities by offering free and discounted training in local languages. The program also provides a platform where startups can showcase their technology and products through co-marketing opportunities.
Low-cost access to MATLAB and Simulink enables startups to research projects, build prototypes, and move from concept to creation using industry-specific tools. With the right support and easy access to engineering expertise, startups can stay on track during the product development process.
MathWorks® has been an invaluable partner for healthcare and medical device startups, offering low cost access to tools, resources and engineering expertise, and enabling these enterprises to create better healthcare solutions and outcomes for rural India.
