BRIDGING A MILLION MILES WITH BOT MAGIC 

Zini.ai’s Dr Rohit Sharma is taking the tech route to crack the accessibility code for India. 

MEET THE LEADER

Dr Rohit Sharma is the Founder & CEO of Zini.ai. Zini.ai - a flagship product by GRAINPAD Pvt Ltd - is India’s first AI-powered voice-based virtual physician designed by a team of experienced doctors and trained on medical data. Like brands, driven leaders too have a tagline or mantra. Here’s Rohit’s: “Everything I do today is just an extension and fulfilment of these innate desires in me. It just feels like I am fulfilling my desires and that makes me feel happy”.  

THE PERSONA 

We are elated with the opportunity to track the inspirational journey of ‘industry insider’ Dr Rohit Sharma, and begin our session with an overview. The idea evangelist outlines his own persona for us…

“I was always inclined towards researching and exploration. In 2011 I finished my MBBS from Govt. Medical college, Faridkot and continued with a 1year Internship at the same hospital. Later, I practiced as a junior doctor at corporate hospitals of Chandigarh and ran a private OPD for 6 months. During my time as the junior resident, I realised things most people do not have access to any reliable source of information when it comes to asking for medical advice. Considering medical industry of our country has a lot of loopholes, which caused a lot of harm not only to patients but also to the doctors. This transitional period in my career helped me unlock my mind and shift towards, what should be the priority at the given time. I wanted to contribute in creating a positive impact in the world while respecting everyone’s contribution as an equal.”

THE BIG IDEA 

We move on. Great minds are usually driven by the force of a big idea, and Zini.ai certainly is one. We invite Rohit to delve into his very special innovation a little more for the benefit of our readers. The leader shares helpfully…

“ZINI is an Artificial intelligence based Virtual Physician. She is an AI driven medical chatbot. When someone shares their symptoms or health issues with her, She starts to do a thorough patient interview, evaluates those symptoms, and finally figures out the possible diagnosis, to guide patients toward a proper treatment plan. While human doctors are not available in most areas and have a very high fee, ZINI can be made available anywhere, anytime at a fraction of the cost. And because ZINI is available in your phone, you can discuss any kind of health issues with her, sitting in the comfort and privacy of your home. She is especially helpful in cases relating to sexual health, women health and psychological issues, where patients are hesitant to go see a doctor. Timely advice from a reliable source also makes sure there is no unwanted delay in seeking the right treatment, preventing further deterioration or spread in case of **Medical emergencies or** infectious diseases.”

THE GRANDER GOAL

Every changemaker is fuelled by the force of a bigger target, a grander goal. So what is the big peak Dr Sharma wants to scale? The stubborn jigsaw puzzle he wants to solve? The response is both  elucidative and eloquent…

“Being from the healthcare industry, I have known the industry from the within. I have clearly understood the verticals where our industry needs improvement – and on many levels. The most important part is lack of availability of resources, that is, doctors and clinics. Millions of people in rural areas have their nearest hospital more than 100 km away. The cities, on their part, may support a lot of hospitals, but then they have to wait hours to get a 2-minute appointment. Where do patients go now? They make do with whatever is available at hand, they go to a chemist or worse a quack for medical advice. The greatest problems people faced were, in descending order, Cost, Waiting time/ delay and Lack of proper explanations by healthcare professionals on the issue. But all these problems are actually very multidimensional and interdisciplinary - and no one stakeholder can solve them on their own. We immediately need to focus on making a higher availability of doctors, vigorous evaluation, and adoption of new technologies and innovations. We need active collaboration of all stakeholders and strategic implementation of new decisions to upgrade the healthcare sector of our country.”

A WORD ABOUT VOH

We thank the maker of Zini.ai for his for his time, and for sharing illuminating slices from a journey that’s causing ripples of transformation on the care landscape. We request Dr Rohit Sharma to leave us with a word or two about Voice of Healthcare and our mission. The man graciously obliges…

“VOH is doing a tremendous job in creating a platform for the healthcare community which I feel is the right path that our country requires currently. I wish all my best to the creators of VOH to continue in this space and create many more inspiring stories for the young entrepreneurs and medical fraternity to learn from.”

*This story is published by VOH team.*