Making Healthcare Affordable With IoT & AI | Prof. Dr. Khondaker Abdullah Al Mamun | TEDxAUST

Summary

Professor Mammoon, a digital health expert at United International University, discusses the healthcare challenges in Bangladesh, including overcrowded hospitals, lack of primary care, and the burden of non-communicable diseases. He introduces Cemed Health, a collaborative digital health platform using AI, IoT, and cloud technology to address these issues. The platform connects healthcare providers, pharmacies, and patients, offering preventive care, telemedicine, and personalized health monitoring. With affordable solutions like a $1/month family plan, the initiative aims to improve health inclusion, reduce out-of-pocket expenses, and achieve universal health coverage in Bangladesh and beyond.

Takeaways

• 🌍 Bangladesh has 2.5% of the world population but struggles with limited healthcare resources in 0.03% of the global land area.
• 🏥 The healthcare system in Bangladesh is overwhelmed, with hospitals and corridors full of patients due to lack of primary healthcare and health education.
• ⚠️ Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like hypertension, diabetes, and cancer are responsible for 67% of deaths in Bangladesh, with a high rate of premature death and reduced human productivity.
• 💸 74% of healthcare expenses in Bangladesh are out-of-pocket, and there is no national health insurance or protection system in place.
• 🔧 CEMED Health, a digital health platform, aims to address these issues by using technology such as AI, IoT, and smartphones to provide preventive, primary, and comprehensive healthcare services.
• 📊 CEMED creates a health account for every citizen, aiming to transform healthcare delivery by efficiently connecting fragmented systems and stakeholders at lower costs.
• 📱 The platform uses AI-based clinical decision support systems and IoT devices to facilitate risk assessment, diagnosis, and remote monitoring of diseases like diabetes, stroke, and heart attacks.
• 🏡 The system aims to bring healthcare to every household, factory, and pharmacy, allowing for health checkups, telemedicine, and referrals to healthcare providers through digital means.
• 💡 CEMED has successfully served over 3 million people in Bangladesh and aims to reach 100 million within the next 10 years, extending its model beyond Bangladesh.
• 💰 CEMED offers affordable healthcare services at $1 per family per month, providing preventive and primary healthcare, which could serve as a model for universal health coverage in developing countries.

Q & A

What is Professor Mammoon's role at the United International University?

Professor Mammoon is a professor of digital health at the United International University.

What is the significance of the Advanced Intelligent Multidisciplinary Systems Lab founded by Professor Mammoon?

The Advanced Intelligent Multidisciplinary Systems Lab is focused on developing advanced technologies to address complex problems in various fields.

What is Cemed Health and how does it aim to transform healthcare in Bangladesh?

Cemed Health is a collaborative digital health platform founded by Professor Mammoon, aiming to transform the healthcare landscape in Bangladesh by utilizing digital technologies to improve access to healthcare services.

What is the population density issue in Bangladesh as mentioned by Professor Mammoon?

Bangladesh accommodates 2.5 percent of the world's population in only 0.03 percent of the land, leading to a high population density and significant challenges in providing healthcare services.

What are the main challenges faced by the healthcare system in Bangladesh according to the transcript?

The main challenges include a lack of access to healthcare, a heavy burden on secondary and tertiary healthcare systems, lack of health education and awareness, absence of a preventive and primary healthcare system, and no effective referral systems.

What percentage of deaths in Bangladesh are attributed to non-communicable diseases?

According to the research mentioned, 67 percent of deaths in Bangladesh are due to non-communicable diseases.

What is the significance of the out-of-pocket expenditure figure of 74 percent in Bangladesh?

The 74 percent out-of-pocket expenditure is the highest among developing countries, indicating a significant financial burden on individuals for healthcare.

How does Cemed Health plan to utilize technology to improve healthcare in Bangladesh?

Cemed Health plans to use fourth industrial revolution technologies such as AI, cloud technology, and IoT devices to create health accounts for citizens, provide risk assessments, and connect them with healthcare providers for timely interventions.

What is the goal of creating health accounts for every citizen through Cemed Health?

The goal is to create health inclusion by providing every citizen with a health account that enables access to preventive, primary, secondary, tertiary, and palliative healthcare services.

How does Professor Mammoon envision the use of smartphones in improving healthcare access?

Smartphones are seen as a powerful tool to connect IoT devices and AI-based clinical decision support systems for risk assessment and to facilitate timely interventions by connecting patients with healthcare providers.

What is the GP model practice mentioned by Professor Mammoon and how does it work?

The GP model practice involves creating health accounts for every citizen in a union (catchment area), providing doorstep preventive and primary healthcare, and connecting to telemedicine services for unlimited doctor consultations.

What is the cost of the GP model practice for a family per month?

The cost is one dollar per family per month, which covers primary and preventive healthcare services including doctor consultations.

What has been the impact of Cemed Health in the last four years according to Professor Mammoon?

Cemed Health has served more than 3 million people in Bangladesh over the last four years.

What is the future goal of Cemed Health as outlined by Professor Mammoon?

The future goal is to reach more than 100 million people in the next 10 years, not only in Bangladesh but also in other developing countries.