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| In the photo (from left): Arthur John Abarquez, Paolo Castaño and Chris Hatton |
We have all experienced the difficulties of finding a doctor and quickly get an appointment. More importantly, on emergency situations, we might not even have an idea where the nearest hospital is or which doctor to call.
For Arthur John Abarquez, one of the founders of UNA I.T. SOLUTIONS, it was on a Maundy Thursday a few years ago when his wife suffered a serious fall, which resulted to shattered bones in her left forearm and hand that compelled him to recognize this need. “We rushed my wife to the hospital but the ER Doctors couldn’t do anything to relieve her pain. They needed a specialist who, at that time, since it was a holiday, was not available. It took them several hours to locate a doctor who had to travel from Calatagan, Batangas to Manila. It was grueling hours of waiting for my wife and myself. I wanted so much to help her but I was helpless, we were at the mercy of the capabilities and the reaction time of the hospital where we brought her,” he shared.
“Had a medical directory, at the very least, been available then, it would have helped us locate the nearest available doctor, not necessarily from the hospital we brought her to but still within immediate reach,” Arthur added.
UNA I.T. SOLUTIONS, the company behind the Health Lifestyle app called GetMed, envisions the product to revolutionize healthcare in the Philippines. The company was built in collaboration with some of the country’s profile experts in pharma, information technology, and consumer marketing - all coming together for one direction – to develop a product that would give everybody an upperhand in managing their healthcare, emergency or otherwise.
GetMed simplifies patient experience in just one touch of a button. Just as how we use online tools to book a restaurant or request for a cab service, patients will certainly demand the same experience in self-booking a doctor’s appointment.
“You would not even want to entertain the idea of waiting,” says Paolo Castaño, a reputable pharma and marketing expert, “so GetMed capitalizes on convenience. With the app, you can conveniently book appointments with MDs, find out nearest hospitals or clinics. The app can immediately give you a directory of doctors grouped geographically and according to specialization.” It is also linked to Waze so you get to manage traffic as you proceed with your respective appointments.
Unlike the many medical apps which are limited to information base, GetMed is highly interactive. “The app is not just an information base, but engages the doctors, patients, and helps build a better lifestyle on day-to-day basis,” shares Chris Hatton, an I.T. expert who had professional stints with a leading global software company in Europe & the Middle East and specialized in Government contracts.
A free download, GetMed Version 1 is available in Android and IOS version. Initially, Version 1 has over 17,000 registered doctors on the database, covering the majority of the country. It also has over 3,000 Hospitals, Clinics & Barangay Health Centres located in Luzon, Visayas & Mindanao. All listings for both doctors and hospitals are 95% accurate.
“A lot of things are coming for the app,” says Chris, “but we do not want to rush things. Importance of the app right now, with Version 1, is the simplicity and usefulness. We just want to make sure we are doing it the correct manner.”
GetMed is aimed at making the Philippines a major player in the app-business, a product that is made in the Philippines that will make us proud. Its mission is to bring healthcare at the touch of a button, manage your healthcare more efficiently, conveniently and more precise.
“We believe in the project. And Philippines is the right place to launch this kind of product and that’s important. We have such great faith in the Philippines. Great technology skills. We’re very Filipino. We have Filipino staff. We use Filipino developers. We are proud that this is a Filipino-made product. It’s the first time that we are consolidating the data of doctors and patients into one big picture. We’re bringing quality life.”
