With healthcare becoming a higher priority for Filipinos amid the ongoing global pandemic, Alaga Health, the winner of the first-ever Globe 5G Hackathon, has developed the first digital health marketplace and health service hub to make access to affordable healthcare available to those who need it.
This social innovation won Alaga Health the top prize of PhP 200,000 and the special recognition of the 5G Globe of Good Award, for their idea’s alignment to three United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Environment, Social, and Governance.
“This award is very important because all of us in Globe are connected by our purpose of treating people right to create a Globe of Good. We are fighting for the future by taking care of our customers today. We are also learning from the lessons of the past. Awarding a group under the terms of Globe of Good acknowledges that you are part of that purpose,” said Nikko Acosta, Globe Head of Product and Content.
The Alaga Health team, led by its founder Dr. Dexter Galban, with his teammates Von Payumo as their Chief Experience Officer, and Bon Dela Cruz as their Chief Technology Officer, received a total of P300,000 to help scale up their business idea, besting 289 other teams nationwide.
In their pitch presentation, Alaga Health showcased their mobile application’s interface that catered to three stakeholders, namely patients, healthcare workers, and administrative assistants within the healthcare industry.
Through the Patient app interface, those looking to seek consultation from medical professionals can schedule appointments at their partner clinics and hospitals, secure video calls, request for a home check-up, pre-book in-facility diagnostics, laboratory, and imaging tests. They can also order medicines and other health products from partner stores and keep an updated health record of their consults and procedures.
Meanwhile, for health workers and administrative assistants, they may access and coordinate with patients through the Partner app and the Health Business interfaces, respectively.
Galban shared, “From the limited access to resources, and the unaffordable quality healthcare services, to the maldistribution of health professionals and the low integration of new technologies, we recognize that there are still several concerns that our country’s healthcare system needs to address.”
“Through Alaga Health, we hope to address all these concerns through our services. Whether you are a patient, a partner, or a health administrator, there is a place for you in our marketplace and a service hub,” he continued.
Through the power of mobile tech, Alaga Health is making health services more accessible to anyone with a mobile phone and internet connectivity. With the integration of 5G Technology, the team believes that they can reach a wider base and create a seamless value chain for patients and healthcare practitioners in the country.
For the moment, Alaga Health has focused their partnerships with micro, small, and medium size clinics and service providers to connect patients to local community doctors and healthcare providers. The team has also mentioned plans to partner with larger hospitals in the future, and become an integrator of other health apps in the future.
The social enterprise is currently onboarding over 650,000 pledged patient users across over 30 international partner patient groups. It is looking at reaching 2.5 million users by the end of 2022.
The Globe 5G Hackathon was done in partnership with Animo Labs, wherein students, professors, and professionals from all over the country were given the opportunity to grow and build their life-changing ideas with the power of 5G.
Globe strongly supports UN SDG No. 9, which highlights the roles of infrastructure and innovation as crucial drivers of economic growth and development. Globe is committed to upholding the 10 United Nations Global Compact principles and 10 UN SDGs.
