"Aido Health" Platform Offers Medical Teleconsultation Via Video Call

In the midst of various limitations in access to health caused by the pandemic, telemedical services in Indonesia are now growing because they can provide alternative health services. One that is developing solutions in this area is "Aido Health". The platform provides medical teleconsultation via live video calls and in-home healthcare, as well as assistance to help patients manage their health.

Echo was established in 2019, considering the constraints on access to health services - distance, availability of specialists, and very long waiting times. This is often the reason for ineffective services that reduce the follow-up ratio, especially for the more than 60 million people with chronic diseases and the 21 million elderly who have more complex health care needs.

Co-Founder & VP Operations and Partnerships Aido Jyoti Nagrani said, "I think the overall health technology ecosystem in Indonesia is still very new. Our focus is on long-term specialty care and continuity of care rather than episodic or primary illnesses/problems."

The platform functions as a digital extension that can customize healthcare service offerings off the health facilities walls and in patients' homes to ensure continuity of patient-centred care. In addition, there are already several players who have also developed this solution, such as Alodokter and Halodoc.

To date, the Aido application has reached 60 thousand downloads with around 5 thousand active users per month (MAU). The company has also built a network with 60 healthcare providers in 30+ cities including Bunda Group, Siloam Hospitals Group, and Bethsaida Hospitals. There are more than 1100 specialists in 30 fields and partnerships with private insurance companies to facilitate cashless teleconsultation.

Google acceleration program

Some time ago, Aido became one of ten startups from Indonesia who were selected to participate in the accelerator program hosted by Google. Through this program, for four weeks, startup founders will receive technical project guidance and support, as well as in-depth discussion and training workshop focusing on product design, customer acquisition, and leadership development.

Starting from technology startups in the fields of health, education, to various platforms online who help promote recycling habits, or encourage the growth of small fishing communities and SMEs in agriculture, the eight shortlisted participants showcased the diversity of the startup community in Indonesia and their creative ways of using technology to help grow and develop the local economy.

Regarding the program accelerator, Jyoti said that this is an extraordinary opportunity to learn, develop and build networks - as well as try out startups/businesses. Although not a guarantee of success, the network of para founder will be very valuable and increase credibility.

Google is renowned for the quality of its programs and the support it provides to the company and its founding team. His team hopes to gather knowledge and skills and learn from Google's vast experience to leverage best practices and grow the company in a more calculated and strategic way.

"We're also excited to learn more about Google tools, including Google Cloud and marketing tools to help raise awareness and educate the community about the availability and benefits of our digital healthcare services. In addition, guidance on exploring machine learning and AI in our solutions ," added Jyoti.

Goals for this year

On the page LinkedInnya, the company is said to have pocketed pre seed worth $300 thousand originating from a large Hospital group in Indonesia. This support is said to be very helpful in terms of product development - in building, testing use cases - as well as hypothesis validation, leveraging their customer base. His party also submitted a fundraising plan in Q3/Q4 this year which will be used to expand the provider ecosystem and increase product awareness.

The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital healthcare services. The government also demonstrated a commitment to support this solution by quickly releasing a Circular to facilitate teleconsultation between doctors and patients and encourage the public to take advantage of digital healthcare services.

Jyoti added, "This also highlights the inefficient Indonesian healthcare system. Basically, it challenges the notion that patients always need to be physically seen for treatment. I think online/digital services will continue to exist and healthcare will continue to evolve beyond just a home." sick. However, in a sense it's not just online - offline and online services are integrated to provide more patient-centred care."

The increasing number of internet users and their expectations for a better experience in healthcare (compared to other industries) will further support the acceleration. People will be more empowered about their own health.

"In the long term, the pandemic will help shift the mindset from curative to preventive promotive. People are now more empowered about their own health and they will expect an easier and more convenient way of accessing care from any location," concluded Jyoti.