Mobile health provider Vensa Health receives gov boost

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Mobile health provider Vensa Health receives government boost

Auckland, New Zealand, 16 May 2011 - Auckland company Vensa Health has received an investment boost to further its research and development of technology that enables interactive mobile communications between health providers and patients.

Vensa Health chief executive Ahmad Jubbawey says, "The $252,000 investment from the Ministry of Science and Innovation is helping the company develop a highly innovative next generation mobile health platform to allow healthcare providers to leverage mobile communications to achieve better health outcomes and business process efficiency."

Vensa Health's Txt2Remind practice-patient messaging system helps primary and secondary health providers send mobile text message health appointment reminders and health promotion messages for breast and cervical screening, diabetes and cardiac checks, immunisations, medication reminders, and more direct to patients.

Mr. Jubbawey, who founded the company in 2006, says, "Currently around one in ten appointments are missed, and each missed appointment represents a lost opportunity for early intervention. Our system can be used in a very targeted way to more effectively deliver on the government's priority health targets such as immunisations for under 2's, better diabetes and cardiovascular services, and improved access to elective surgery. "

"We know how vitally important early intervention is with cervical cancer for example, which requires appointment reminders and follow ups. Mobile text-message is very effective way sending appointment reminders to all patient groups, including low socio-economic, Maori and Pacific Islands groups."

Tom McLeod at the Ministry of Science and Innovation says Vensa Health have a vision to be the world leading provider of mobile Health communications between Health providers and people.

"New Zealand has been a great first market for Vensa Health as we're a nation with very high mobile usage, so it's a perfect place to prove the technology and build a client base. The Ministry of Science and Innovation is helping the company go to the next stage by investing in the development of new mobile health technology that will allow the company to capitalise on new market opportunities," he says.

Vensa Health's General Manager of ICT Anossis Oliveira says, "Vensa is now recognized as a key player in the mobile health sector (mHealth). Our new generation scalable SOA platform interfaces easily with all major patient management systems, and is compliant to all key national and international health message formats and standards. We have multi-lingual message capabilities, and a complete end-to-end audit trail of all outgoing and incoming messages. We also have close to real-time message delivery capabilities through leveraging established relationships with major Telco gateways."

Mr Oliveira says Vensa is a strong advocate of the Patient Centric concept. "We've automated the process of sending communications to patient's mobiles and handling replies in the most direct and personal way."

Vensa Health has sold its technology into a number of GP practices, specialist clinics and district health boards around New Zealand and is also exploring opportunities in the Middle East, and Asia Pacific.

According to Jubbawey a recent 'Global Mobile Health Market Report' predicts around five hundred million people will be using mobile health apps by 2015 and many analyst reports estimate the value of that market at between US$5 and $6 billion. "The mobile revolution in healthcare that everyone has been talking about is happening. Our new technology will help us be part of that as governments and health providers look for innovative ways to achieve the best health outcomes and consumers demand better access."

Vensa Health received an earlier investment of $30,000 from the Ministry of Science and Innovation.

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