The novel coronavirus pandemic has created a storm in healthcare systems around the globe, including Iran. This unexpected situation has intensified demand for smart solutions to support healthcare providers and reduce the transmission of the virus. Fortunately, the growing technology ecosystem in Iran is increasingly involved in developing protection against the virus in several ways.
While startups are smaller economic units, they are best suited to respond to critical needs on a strict deadline. In the past seven months, diligent startups and knowledge-based companies, with a commitment to do what is needed to help curb the spread of Covid-19, have helped stock the shelves of drugstores with health products such as facemasks and sanitizers; which shelves were swept clean by the public’s panic purchases in the early days of outbreak in February.
According to the Vice Presidential Office for Science and Technology, a fervent supporter of the growing tech ecosystem, homegrown tech firms have managed to produce two types of coronavirus test kits, one for blood and the other for saliva. “Surgical and N95 facemasks are being produced in the country and soon 40 new production lines will be added to the current capacity,” the vice president, Sorena Sattari, told reporters.
In addition, local companies are producing tons of hand and surface sanitizers of different kinds, making the country self-sufficient in supplying these products. Stepping beyond the aforementioned consumer goods, Iranian tech teams have almost fulfilled the health sector’s demand for high-tech medical devices. Sattari noted that hospitals are not facing any shortage of health devices and equipment, including CT Scan machines, ventilators, ICU and surgery room equipment, oxygen concentrators, blood oxygen meters and BiPAP machines.
Ozone generators, which sterilize and purify the air via O3 molecules, ventilators, nanotechnology face shields, medical and surgery gowns, silicone gloves and hospital oxygen capsules are among the products successfully localized by the tech ecosystem.
The knowledge-based firms and startups are also working on providing accessible telemedicine, smart health platforms and remote care tools to ease the public pursuing their health conditions.
Synapse, a tech firm at Samsung AUT Tech (a substitute of Amir Kabir University of Technology) specialized in equipping hospitals with smart technologies, is working on a system that converts the documented information of visiting patients and converts them into digital data.
The database is connected to Synapse’s smartphone application called “InLab” that can be used by physicians and other medical staff.
The app gives doctors full remote access and helps them review patients’ test results and write prescriptions (Source: Financial Tribute).
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