KUALA LUMPUR, October 29th,
2009:
MalaysiaHealthcare (MHC), the leading facilitator
for health tourists in Malaysia, today set a milestone
for medical health tourism in Malaysia by launching
the innovative iPHER™ (Personal Health Electronic
Record). The groundbreaking, award-winning iPHER™
is a credit card-sized USB device that facilitates
better healthcare for all users by offering relief
from the burdens of dealing with medical records
and the hassles associated with them.
The
portable iPHER allows users e.g. medical tourists
to carry all their personal health information with
them anywhere in the world with no need to access
the Internet to view the information. Health data
contained in the iPHER™ can include anything
from X-rays, medication prescriptions, lab tests,
diagnosis, immunizations, alternative procedures
to digital images, dental records, ophthalmic care
(lens and contact prescriptions) and DNA.
The
technology represents a unique opportunity to provide
healthcare solutions that combine secure information
access and management with data mobility and patient
privacy. The iPHER™, powered by MyhealtheFile,
gives medical care providers such as doctors comprehensive
background of users/patients for a more accurate
diagnoses of the patients' conditions.
"MalaysiaHealthcare
currently uses the iPHER™ technology to reduce
medical errors and create continuity of care for
their patients. The service we provide using the
iPHER™ is an end-to-end solution in facilitating
patients from overseas to Malaysia and can be used
with local patients here," said Suresh Ponnudurai,
CEO of MalaysiaHealthcare.
He
added that, "by digitizing medical information,
patients can now take control of their own medical
records by carrying it in a portable way using the
iPHER™. This is the trend moving forward.
"As
more and more people travel across the globe, digitizing
medical information and taking ownership of their
health records are becoming increasingly relevant.
With the widespread acceptance of portable, reliable
storage devices such as USB drives, portable electronic
medical records promise to increase the quality
of care while lowering cost."
Suresh said that apart from its numerous benefits,
the most basic and essential element of the product
is that it is a step towards the future of creating
the most accurate and reliable system for storing,
organising and delivering on-demand personal health
information across the entire healthcare continuum
anywhere in the world.
"MHC provides a complete solution with the
integration of the iPHER™ that enables the
health tourist to carry his/her medical records
in a digital format anywhere in the world to receive
treatment, and then with the new added data from
the treatment, the health tourist can go back to
his/her home country and have follow-up care with
his/her own doctor," he said, adding that the
iPHER™ currently recognises English, Spanish,
Portugese, Arabic, Chinese, German and French.
The
personal health electronic records contained on
the iPHER™ system is currently available on
a 1GB - 8GB USB Drive with high speed wizard encryption
software. An additional biometric model is also
available for additional security. Data can be accessed
by any desktop or laptop and, in the near future,
by any cell phone, TV or in a personal vehicle or
airplane with enabled USB connections. Unlike other
models on the market, there is no additional hardware
or software needed beyond a Microsoft Operating
System and the USB Port.
"MalaysiaHealthcare's
decision to use the iPHER™ technology for
its patients locally and overseas is a big step
ahead of all other health care organisations in
Malaysia," said Dr. Naomi Marquez Melvin, who
is the creator and patent holder for iPHER™
technology, and President of Patient Practitioners,
LLC – USA.
"We believe that it is important to empower
individuals to take control of their own health,"
she said. "The iPHER™ offers relief from
the burdens of dealing with medical records and
the hassles associated with them and instead, allows
users to 'Own Their Health'.
The
iPHER™ was developed in the US in 2006 by
Dr Melvin and her team at Patient Practitioners,
a company out of Chipley, Florida, and received
the prestigious 2006 Governor’s Business Diversification
Award for Innovation. The iPHER™ is used in
the US, Dubai and Malaysia, and soon Sao Paolo,
Brazil will follow suite.
According to the 2009/2010 Malaysian Economic Report,
health tourism is expected to generate RM330 million
in revenue for the country following a surge in
the number of foreign patients to 430,000 this year.
The number of healthcare travellers rose almost
10-fold from 39,114 in 1998 to 374,063 last year,
and generated a remarkable increase in revenue from
RM14.1 million to RM299.1 million during the same
period. (Source: Bernama)
For the 2006-2010 period, the industry is estimated
to generate total foreign exchange of about RM2
billion, said the Report, with the bulk of healthcare
travellers to Malaysia coming from Indonesia, Japan,
Europe and India.
"As the global trend is moving towards the
digitization of medical information, MHC's goal
is to take healthcare in Malaysia to the next level.
And the iPHER™ is very much in line with that,"
concluded Suresh.
About
Malaysia Healthcare
MHC
(www.malaysiahealthcare.com) is a global facilitator
for health and medical tourism to Malaysia. It provides
tourists a one-stop destination for all medical
and tourism related needs by bringing together all
related service providers on a single platform to
Malaysia. MHC acts as a complete and convenient
channel to network, integrate, facilitate and manage
all aspects of health/medical tourism for both the
health tourist as well as service providers i.e.
hospitals, medical service providers, travel agents,
insurance providers, airlines, hotels, etc.
The
MHC portal was officially launched by the Malaysian
Minister of Tourism in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
in May 2006. MHC is owned by Tropical Flow Sdn.
Bhd.
For
more information, please contact:
Emerald
Communications
Jana
Ponnudurai
Mobile: +6012-250 4103
Email: jana.ponnudurai@gmail.com
Rene Leow
Mobile: +6017-883 0848
Email: reneleow@gmail.com
