In Conversation With Dr. Radha Rangarajan, CSO, HealthCube

How and why was HealthCube launched?

HealthCube is a point-of-care technology-enabled diagnostics service provider founded in 2015 with the vision of transforming diagnostic delivery and making diagnosis simple and hassle-free. Our primary product is a medical-grade, clinically accurate, portable diagnosis system, similar to a dictionary in size. It can be used easily anywhere by anyone with minimal training. The system is a combination of smart diagnostics and artificial intelligence to facilitate rapid screening of patients. The company was the outcome of a simple need. In India, pregnant women face the challenge of not being able to access prenatal care. Such care would ensure that they are screened for blood pressure, pulse rate, blood glucose, anaemia and HIV, etc. However, due to lack of diagnostic labs in rural areas, only 5% women are able to get the tests done, leading to complications during childbirth and worse outcomes. We wanted to build a solution that would help them manage these tests at their convenience. While this was the genesis of HealthCube, we soon realised that the problem of limited access to diagnostic services affects all segments of rural society, not just pregnant women. This is due to a shortage of labs and trained medical staff, particularly in the economically backward states. Thus, we created a Made-for-India product that delivers basic diagnostic services to rural India.

HealthCube devices can be easily deployed for rapid diagnosis and is used by doctors and practitioners to protect health and reduce the cost of healthcare. Today, our technology has impacted 1 million lives with 2.5 million diagnostic tests performed.

What are the USPs of the company?

One of our biggest USPs is that we have a full stack offering, which includes the device, data storage and telemedicine. The device performs a wide array of tests such as blood pressure, pulse, oxygen saturation, 12-lead ECG, blood glucose, hemoglobin, cholesterol, uric acid and rapid tests for pregnancy, infectious diseases and inflammatory conditions. Our portable device can be used in the remotest regions by anyone with minimal training. It does not need internet access or even power supply to operate and can be simply plugged in to a power bank and used. HealthCube provides results in 1 to 15 minutes, allowing the doctor to make a decision about diagnosis or further follow-up testing. All these factors give HealthCube a transformational positioning in the diagnostic ecosystem in India.

What are the challenges faced by the company?

Healthcare services especially diagnostics are highly technology driven. In a country like India, technology adoption is a major challenge. Despite the broad usage of the internet and digital technology, a majority of the healthcare professionals in rural areas are still hesitant to adopt innovative devices. We are trying to overcome such reluctance through outreach, community awareness programs and collaborations with NGOs. Recently, the NITI Aayog had contacted us to make our innovative device available in all aspirational districts across India. We are fulfilling that vision by not only selling directly to the government, but, also to the districts at the foundational level. Such moves by the Government help considerably in the acceptance of new technologies.

How is HealthCube revolutionizing healthcare with new age technology?

HealthCube offers a diverse range of diagnostic products and services for corporates, healthcare providers and home care. HealthCube’s ecosystem is a combination of smart diagnostics and artificial intelligence to facilitate rapid screening of patients. The results provided by HealthCube are saved electronically on cloud with the help of an Android-based application and accessed easily on mobile phones and laptops. With this smart solution, HealthCube aims to add value to the services being provided by thousands of healthcare practitioners, especially GPs and frontline health workers. The data collected through HealthCube can be analysed and used to track health parameters of individuals and even, predict outbreaks of disease.

HealthCube’s other medical- grade product, AgeWell, is especially made for the elderly and those who need to monitor their vitals regularly. The all-in-one AgeWell Health Monitor, which is also operated by an app on the phone, measures blood pressure, blood glucose, oxygen saturation, pulse rate, temperature, respiratory rate and performs single channel ECGs. The results are shared in real- time with the family doctor who can respond quickly using teleconsultation. Family members can also feel assured by having their own access to the results via AgeWell CareMate App. In this way, AgeWell forms a ‘Circle of Care’ for its user members. It offers customized care with services and features like video consultation, pill reminder, digital prescription, digitized health records, fall detection, etc.

HealthCube also offers corporate screening solutions, which are customized based on the need. We deploy our devices along with operators on client premises and share the reports/analytics with them.

How is HealthCube providing solutions to fight with the virus?

In 2020, we launched COVID-19 Risk Management, a holistic solution designed to indicate the risk of infection and assess the severity. Our aim is to enable workplaces, healthcare providers, and governments, to reopen safely by preventing transmission via regular screening and identifying people at higher risk. The service includes testing people for risk factors such as diabetes, blood pressure and obesity, track people’s exposure history, measure their oxygen saturation, pulse and temperature and test for COVID-19 antibodies.

A number of corporate houses such as Tech Mahindra, Tagros Chemicals, Club Mahindra, Jubilant Foodworks, and NICSI have deployed our device to screen their employees and prevent infection among them.

In 2021, the impact of the second wave of the Coronavirus pandemic has been unprecedented in India. Unfortunately, there were also a number of fatalities caused by lack of oxygen. We are working dedicatedly to enable distribution of medical oxygen through an initiative called OxygenForIndia.Org. The initiative started from Delhi and has been subsequently scaled to various cities including Bengaluru, Kolkata and Chennai.