MobeedCare founded by Shihab and Zahid Makaniyil is a step towards an easier and more effective healthcare setup. They are launching three services into the market which will help people to acquire better healthcare services. This idea will give people in rural India a better chance when it comes to health services. Founder Shihab Makaniyil explains to us in detail the workings of Mobeedcare and its different products.
Give a brief info about Mobeedcare?
MobeedCare is a healthcare technology startup with a vision of democratizing healthcare services especially in rural India. MobeedCare is passionately engaged in the following mission;
- To create smart co-working spaces for the healthcare practices and practitioners enabling better primary care.
- To develop and implement technological innovations to enhance the competitiveness and the efficiency of the healthcare delivery.
- To reduce the cost of healthcare and improve access and patient outcomes.
- To minimize productivity losses while accessing and delivering healthcare services.
The concept behind Mobeedcare is unique, how did you come up with it? What is the backstory?
I was in Sydney working for an Italian company Luxottica, which is the global leader in eyewear and vision care. I witnessed substantial number of elderly population who often find themselves struggling to get their regular eye tests done, I had teamed up with a friend, developed a mobile eye clinic prototype and deployed it in some schools in Sydney suburbs. I then wanted to take it up seriously not only for the eye clinic but also for dental and audiology, and named the concept MobeedCare, it simply means Mobile Eye, Ear and Dental Care. Although we couldn’t roll out in Australia as we planned, when I returned back to India, I decided to pivot my business model entirely and launch a whole new healthcare technology venture, however keeping the company name same, as MobeedCare Pvt Ltd. Now, we would like to position MobeedCare as a three dimensional healthcare ecosystem.
Tell us about yourself, your previous jobs/ventures? What were you doing before this startup?
I graduated in Electronics and Mathematics from St. Aloysius College Mangalore, although I was admitted for my masters in England, I didn’t pursue it completely and eventually started helping out with my father’s business in the Sultanate of Oman. I quit my family business and joined the corporate world, working in different companies under various capacities across almost all continents over 16 years, holding even senior most management positions in the companies, responsible for operations and P&L. I also offered my industry expertise, marketing intelligence and insights to some major consultancy firms including McKinsey & Company as an Independent Consultant.
MobeedCare is my first full time business that fits into a genuine startup definition. Prior to this, I did try out some businesses in the Middle East and Europe which ended in either a total or partial failure.
In the light of the current covid pandemic, how do you think Mobeedcare is playing a role in making lives easier?
Inspite of our really small strength and brand new status, I believe we made some remarkable efforts to help out our local communities affected due to the lockdown. I don’t wish to highlight those leveraging for the PR as they are humanitarian in nature. Unfortunately, the pandemic has struck 3 months before our products were fully functional. Otherwise our offerings would have been more impactful and helpful for the general public. We implement and promote digital healthcare solutions. One of the silver linings from this crisis is the overnight digital transformation the healthcare is undergoing. MobeedCare has initiated an in-depth research and analysis called Post Covid-19 Digital Healthcare Eco-system in Kerala in association with multiple government agencies and higher educational institutions. This report can determine how close to 35 million people in Kerala and beyond are likely to approach and access digital healthcare in the future.
Tell us about the different products of Mobeedcare and its importance in today’s world
MobeedCare has three core products, all of them are currently under development. MobeedCare Smart Polyclinic, ShopDoc Healthcare Super App and MobeedCare Mobile Clinic. Let me speak specifically more about ShopDoc. It’s a one stop online shop for the essential healthcare products and services. It helps patients to choose the right healthcare products, providers, practices, practitioners and procedures. ShopDoc Web App is already live with limited offerings.
The Mobeedcare Smart Polyclinic, how is it different from other hospitals/clinics?
Not only does it have the novelty of a multispecialty paperless polyclinic, it’s also a smart co-working space for the healthcare practices and practitioners.
We are building this community health centers with advanced primary care facilities. The most important problem it addresses is chronic illness of patients in smaller towns unable to travel all the way to big cities for their regular specialist consultations. Instead, we would bring a few dozen specialists to these towns as frequently as possible offering them sophisticated co-working spaces so that thousands of patients do not necessarily have to travel to the opposite directions. In our studies, we found out that millions of people in Kerala alone are relying on urban centers and having to make longer trips. Our telemedicine service is expected to bring a great relief. Another aspect of our value proposition is the affordability. Our first MobeedCare Smart Polyclinic in Kasargod was supposed to be opened for public in April. The crisis has halted the construction works and therefore pushed us to postpone it till late June.
Where is your startup based out of? Why do you think that is the best place for you?
We are originally from Kasargod, the district which has been neglected the most in Kerala, however MobeedCare is based out of Kerala startup mission integrated startup complex in Kochi. Kerala being the first digital state in India, with the best public healthcare infrastructure, a good model for the rest of the country. There’s no better place to launch our healthcare technology startup.
Tell us about your team and how did you meet each other?
Being the founder and CEO, I lead the team.
We have our co-founder Zahid Makaniyil who is currently filling the role of the CTO. He’s a computer science and engineering graduate from CUSAT.
My long term friend in college Razik Ashraf is coming onboard with us, he has been the Qatar Country Head for a major information communication technology company in the Gulf region. Whilst he was working at Dubai Health Authority early on his career, he had hands on implementation experience and exposure when DHA underwent enormous digital transformation and technological innovation. We are also fortunate to have some healthcare industry veterans from medical fraternity helping us to understand and navigate the healthcare market landscape. We are aggressively looking to hire some brilliant local talents in engineering and marketing to help us.
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