Olwel’s digital hospital pioneers a new era of healthcare in Bangladesh.
Over the past decade, the average living experience in Bangladesh has undergone some remarkable changes. The vision of a Digital Bangladesh is no longer a buzzword; it has been transforming lives across the country by transforming the way people access information and services. From communicating with family members in other parts of the world to sending crucial financial assistance with the tap of a button, digitisation has changed the way we perceive emergency services. As we continue to broaden the horizon of possibilities, Olwel, a Finland-based healthcare startup is aiming to make healthcare, one of the country’s most inaccessible sectors, readily available to every Bangladeshi.
Digital Hospital, Anywhere, Everywhere
Our healthcare system at the moment could definitely be better. When a patient requires a doctor’s advice, they usually face incredibly long waits at a hospital where there are increased risks of being exposed to germs, as well as deal with incredibly long commutes to get there. This situation is nothing short of hellish for patients who are very sick or face mobility issues. Our hospitals are not optimal for patients with low-intensity but fatal non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension that require regular monitoring and health checkups. Perhaps one of the biggest impediments to ensuring accessible healthcare is Dhaka’s abysmal traffic. It is very challenging for ageing patients to sit for hours in a car, especially when temperatures are soaring. Therefore, the logistical challenges of taking elderly patients to the doctor in Bangladesh often hinder their treatment, leading to fatal consequences. Olwel, a patient-centric digital hospital was born out of the desire to ensure accessible health for all irrespective of the location by taking the logistical impediment out of the equation.
Tackling a Pressing Issue
According to the World Migration Report 2022, Bangladesh is currently the sixth largest migrant-sending country, with more than 7.40 million Bangladeshis living beyond its borders. Despite the diaspora playing a crucial role in our aggregate development, they are continuously burdened with increasing challenges. Perhaps the biggest challenge of them all is ensuring the health and well-being of their ageing parents. The options have been minimal for our expatriates to ensure adequate healthcare for their parents, relying on the closest relative living back home. Olwel is dedicated to becoming a solution to this age-old issue. It provides a comprehensive care program for elderly patients. Many of Olwel’s patients are senior citizens whose children live abroad.
A Silver Lining
Embodying a visionary resolve to tackle a longstanding quandary head-on, Olwel has emerged as an earnest solution. With its unwavering commitment, it endeavours to furnish a comprehensive care program tailored specifically to meet elderly patients’ demands. Through its array of services, the platform efficiently addresses diverse aspects of care, encompassing the provision of dedicated nurses and caregivers, facilitating home visits by medical professionals, offering video consultations with specialists, and even enabling the collection of samples from the comfort of one’s abode. The holistic approach adopted by Olwel ensures that barring unforeseen emergencies, patients no longer face the arduous ordeal of visiting hospitals or medical facilities. Instead, they can enjoy the comfort of their home while availing themselves of a gamut of services this pioneering digital platform facilitates. By bridging the physical divide between expatriates and their ageing parents, Olwel ushers in a new era of accessible healthcare where distance need not be an obstacle.
Setting a New Benchmark
Since the start of its journey in 2017, Olwel has used ICT to develop a system that provides the right healthcare system needed at the correct time and place. It has an integrated technology platform that utilises a call centre, electronic health records, end-to-end video calling capabilities, an automated dispatching system, and an automated follow-up system.
It is a one-stop digital healthcare service and provides prompt services at home, thanks to its mobile app that connects doctors to patients. Olwel provides in-person and online services, including home visits and video consultations, as well as subscription-based long-term treatment plans for people with chronic illnesses such as diabetes. In addition, comprehensive care is provided for patients, which includes at-home patient screening and history collection by a doctor, visit to a consultant in person or through video call in the presence of an Olwel doctor, sample collection from home, providing of a comprehensive management plan by Olwel specialists, regular checkups at home, and preservation of patient history and records electronically.
A Holistic Approach
In Bangladesh’s healthcare sector, Olwel has emerged as a groundbreaking company and transformed the way we manage our well-being. With its innovative healthcare management system, Olwel offers a complete solution that includes specialist doctors, home-visit physicians, and a dedicated call centre. By continuously expanding its pool of specialist doctors, Olwel ensures that each patient is matched with the most suitable medical expert.
One of the key advantages of Olwel’s system is the integration of electronic health records. This allows the specialists to access comprehensive patient files, including their medical history, enabling a seamless and efficient experience for both patients and doctors alike. The home-visit doctors and call centre physicians employed by Olwel are no strangers to expertise either, boasting a collective experience of 3 to 8 years. The home-visit doctors undergo rigorous training under the guidance of both local and expert physicians, while the call centre doctors possess exceptional skills in patient history assessment, emergency triaging, continuous communication with patients and caregivers, and acting as a crucial link between them and other specialist doctors. Through Olwel, individuals gain swift access to medical professionals, enabling them to commence treatment promptly and recover in the comfort of their own homes.
Impressive Figures
According to a survey conducted by the interns of the Institute of Health Economics, University of Dhaka in 2020, under the supervision of Dr Syed Abdul Hamid, more than 90% of people who had already taken Olwel’s services were willing to do so again in the future, and 64% found Olwel to be useful. In addition, a majority of Olwel patients (72%) believe that the cost of the treatment is low, with 29% believing it to be low and 43% believing it to be very low. Furthermore, most respondents reported that after being introduced to Olwel, 81% of respondents reported that their necessity of going to the hospital had been reduced. The findings of this report are based on a telephone survey conducted by the students of the department, where the patients were chosen randomly.
Opportunities for Doctors
In addition to its groundbreaking healthcare management system, Olwel presents compelling employment opportunities for medical professionals. The company not only offers a platform for doctors to practise their expertise but also provides them with internationally recognised training standards. Moreover, Olwel prioritises flexibility – an invaluable perk in today’s evolving medical landscape.
Olwel’s emergence heralds a transformative shift in the landscape of healthcare provision for ageing populations. Burdened by geographical constraints, expatriates can finally find solace in the knowledge that their cherished elders are receiving the diligent attention and care they deserve. As a formidable force combating the timeless tribulations faced by our globalised world, Olwel epitomises the power of innovation and compassion converging to elevate the quality of life for all.
Photographs courtesy of Olwel
