EMPOWERING PATIENTS IN DISTANT SHORES 

What happens when you combine a love for technology with a zeal to help humanity? A disruption in the truest sense, as Amit Bansal - and his brainchild - MediGence are proving, by reengineering the overseas treatment experience inside-out.

The trauma of not being able to find the right medical help overseas for his father who was critically ill turned Amit Bansal into a crusader with a cause. The cause was to ensure that there would never be a repeat of the same experience for anyone else. Not if he could help it. Today, Amit (Founder and CEO at Medigence) and the team he leads is breaking new ground in their quest to ensure precisely that. By being a ‘good samaritan’, shepherd and compass rolled into one – for patients and their families who are looking at overseas treatment which addresses their pain-points (the pun is intended) and fits their budget.

Founded in 2016, MediGence is a technology driven global platform that curates and delivers best-in-class overseas medical treatment options for a memorable patient care experience. Following its brand statement ‘Enabling Better Healthcare Decisions’, the company empowers medical travelers to take the right healthcare decisions using technology and engineer better outcomes for their treatment overseas. Solutions offered by Amit’s team straddle genres like provider-patient matching, choosing best destinations, communication, collaboration, documentation, follow up, travel and much more - right from the moment they are diagnosed until their recovery.

AN IDEA WHOSE TIME HAS COME  

The team is living a common purpose, and a shared dream, of becoming the world’s first organization that not only creates a hassle-free medical travel experience but also contributes to the disruptive idea of patient empowerment. Amit explains his idea for VOH readers in a little more detail, “Millions of people travel every year to see a good doctor but not all of them have a pleasing and seamless experience. Reasons are several. We at MediGence have been on the journey to join the dots to create a better patient experience by empowering people with the help of technology. We have been working on several initiatives in and around medical travel that eventually contributes to a happy and a positive medical travel experience, while providing them all the necessary information as required by a medical traveller.”

THE TURNING POINT 

As we have mentioned, his father’s illness proved to be the turning point. Amit revisits those troubled times again for the benefit of our readers, “I had been through a trauma when my father was critically ill and I was scouting for the best hospital and doctor overseas in year 2014. I failed to find and connect with the trusted provider who could help us and advice us about our best options overseas. By the Grace of God, we somehow managed the situation with the help of a personal connect but that one awful experience always remained within me. It inspired me to build MediGence, with a vision to possibily help people worldwide when they are in need of consulting a doctor for treatment overseas.”

TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR HEALTHCARE 

Today, his idea is influencing healthcare outcomes both tangibly and significantly. At the core of it all lies a deep passion to ensure a great patient experience. When Amit started out, he hadn’t – by his own admission – realized his concept would catch on the way it has, and become a source of inspiration for many around the world. But it has. Amit captures the impact in a few, well chosen words, “At last count, we have assisted thousands of people from all over the world. We have also launched a telemedicine service recently – one that allows anyone to consult doctors overseas over a simple video call. CURED, our app, can bring the entire experience to one’s fingertips in just one touch. Compelling offers and packages that is handpicked and negotiated with the healthcare providers worldwide to bring not only the cost saving of upto 20% but it also offers unmatched several other benefits to the consumers. Today, we fulfil a wide range of healthcare needs in 20+ global destinations with 400+ internationally accredited hospitals. Likewise, MediGence is working on several other tech led initiatives to simplify medical travel. Our vast network of MediGence care executives, doctors and specialists address and fulfil an entire spectrum of operational demands, and offer on ground services round the clock”. 

WHAT’S NEXT? 

What is the one big bottleneck in the sector he would like to crack and solve in the future? Amit divulges his forward vision spontaneously: “We are in the process of addressing challenges one could potentially face when he or she is adviced to consult a doctor overseas. There are many dots outside the medical travel space that needs to be connected to eventually lead to a better patient experience. When a person is exploring options for treatment abroad, they need to provided that geniune, comprehensive and transparent advice. They need to have that confidence in the healthcare facility and the treating doctor.”

STAYING TRUE TO THE GRAND DREAM 

Perhaps most significantly, Amit’s team is careful not to mis-use or abuse technology simply because they have a vantage point. They are looking beyond the shiny externalities of new techs and transient trends into what matters : Elevating the patient journey perceptively, and making a real difference. In Amit’s own words, “We have a crystal clear vision about what have we been building and how it is going to address the challenges that a patient may face when they are advised to consult a doctor overseas and travel for treatment outside of the home country. While many facilitators in the industry with a sophisticated website may spend some great money to generate patient enquiries, we are more focused to use technology to not only simplifying one’s experience but also address significant gaps in this unorganized industry".

DEFINING THE MAN BEHIND THE MISSION 

Enthusiastic and passionate about reimagining the medical travel sector by the use of technology, Amit is, at a personal level, an easy-going and a fitness freak. He loves to explore new ideas and brainstorm with like-minded people to come up with something exciting and challenging. So what is the one philosophy that defines him and his approach to life… his success mantra, as it were? Amit mulls for a second or two before articulating, “I believe that it is important to stay true to yourself and your soul, and it is one mantra that I guess defines my principles in life. I just want to follow my passion to make healthcare accessible and more convenient for the people worldwide and this is what drives me and all of us at MediGence.”

A WORD FOR GEN NEXT

Any parting wisdom for the next generation of leaders? “My only take for future leaders is to stay true to your vision. There could be nothing that may deviate you from achieving what you deserve”, shares the man with a smile.

SIGNING OFF WITH A THOUGHT FOR VOH

When we request him to say a few words about VOH and how tribute profiles such as Idea Leaders are adding direction, inspiration and positive energy to the healthcare community, Amit obliges gracefully, “VOH is doing some great work in becoming the voice of many influencers and entrepreneurs and providing them a platform to connect and share their vision and strengths. At the same time, it is also doing enlightening the community about latest trends and technology in the world of healthcare.”