As a part of the graham bell awards, we have presented our innovation in healthcare to the esteemed jury. This is a blog covering our motivation, innovation and impact.

A Growing Health Crisis

The landscape of healthcare in India is rapidly evolving, yet significant challenges remain. Often touted as the non-communicable diseases capital, India accounts for 63% of all deaths according to the World Health Organization. India has made large strides in improving the doctor patient ratio currently at 1:836, exceeding the recommended 1:1000, however, in rural India, this is 1:3168.

To address this inaccessibility, there is a pressing need to empower people with screening and awareness tools.

Smartphone turns into a health sensor

With smartphone penetration reaching over 60% in rural areas and 84% in urban areas, mobile devices can be transformed into powerful health sensors. Through photoplethysmography (PPG) technology, a smartphone’s camera can now capture vital health metrics with validated accuracy.

How does it work? The technology detects subtle color changes in your skin that indicate blood flow patterns, measuring not just your heart rate but also heart rate variability (HRV) – a crucial indicator of overall health and stress levels. This innovation has been rigorously tested and validated at tertiary and a medical college across 7,000 patient measurements.

Beyond Basic Monitoring

What sets modern health monitoring apart isn’t just the measurement capability – it’s the intelligence behind it. After each measurement, users receive a comprehensive health report card that includes their HRV and stress index. An AI-powered HealthBot then helps interpret these readings, providing personalized insights and actionable recommendations.

This combination of accurate measurement and intelligent interpretation creates a powerful tool for preventive healthcare. Users can track their health trends over time, understand their stress patterns, and take proactive steps to maintain their wellbeing.

Eka AI HealthBotnbsp;

Most doctors in India are pressed for time, some doctors on our platform treat close to 100 patients a day, which means on average a patient spends about 3 minutes with a doctor. This leads to a lack of personalized healthcare.

Eka AI HealthBot assists users in understanding their health better through contextual and personalized health conversations. Through the vitals of the users, Healthbot can surface information that otherwise would have been challenging to correlate and uncover.

All Healthbot conversations are tailored to the user’s medical history and reports that have been uploaded to Eka.

Data Privacy

At Eka, privacy and security of user data is a prime concern, we ensure that all the user data does not ever leave our private network, and whenever we provide any user information to the language models, we ensure any Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is removed.

Contributing to Global Goals

These technological advances aren’t just about individual health monitoring – they’re contributing to broader sustainable development goals set by the United Nations. By making health monitoring more accessible, these solutions help reduce healthcare inequalities and promote better public health outcomes, particularly in areas with limited healthcare infrastructure.

Through active monitoring of vitals through the smartphone we are promoting SDG 3 – Good health and well being, Eka HealthBot AI enables learning lifelong opportunities about one’s health and, through the smartphone, health monitoring is being democratized to everyone reducing inequality in access to health monitoring.

Real Stories, Real Impact

The true measure of success lies in user experiences. From early detection of health issues to better stress management, users are finding value in having health monitoring tools at their fingertips. The platform has become particularly valuable for those managing chronic conditions, helping them track vital metrics and understand their health patterns better.

Looking Ahead

As we look to the future, the potential for smartphone-based health monitoring continues to grow. With rising health awareness post-pandemic and increasing smartphone penetration, these tools are becoming essential components of preventive healthcare.

The integration of health monitoring capabilities with AI-powered insights marks a significant step forward in democratizing healthcare access. It’s not just about measuring health metrics – it’s about making those measurements meaningful and actionable for everyone.

For more information about smartphone-based health monitoring and to start your health journey, download the eka.care app, available on Android and iOS