11:48am Thursday 24th December 2009
By Deborah Johnson
A NORTH-EAST start-up company is likely to experience worldwide success for its healthcare system after winning a supply deal in China.
Software firm Heridian, which was established in April, in Sunderland, has developed a system which gives better access to primary healthcare for patients living in remote areas of the world.
Its i-MED Telemedicine Portal technology integrates with medical equipment, such as MRI scanners and x-ray machines, to relay diagnostic information from local health centres to remote doctors for diagnosis, recommendations and treatment plans.
The firm has struck a deal to introduce i-MED into China, and is in advanced negotiations for it to be used in Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, South Africa and Rwanda.
Heridian said it has also received interest from the US, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Armenia and Jamaica for its system, which has been developed over the past seven years.
Under the deal with China, an initial 50,000 patients in the Jiangsu province will benefit from the technology, which will allow them to be diagnosed, and then given treatment by consultants during a visit to their local health centre.
Following a three-month pilot, it is expected that i-MED will be used across the province’s healthcare network, which serves 76 million people, and from there to the rest of China.
Peter Fullarton, managing director of Heridian – who opted to create the company in Sunderland because of Software City – said he expects to create 25 jobs in the city over the next two years thanks to the firm’s success.
“In many countries, large numbers of the population live in rural areas and do not have easy access to primary health care,” he said.
“We have developed the i- MED platform to provide much-improved access to healthcare for those living outside of the major cities and potentially hundreds of miles from appropriate medical services.
“The technology has the potential to improve access to healthcare for the billions of people around the world.”
Mr Fullarton previously lived in Hong Kong and then South Korea, where he ran a manufacturing and healthcare IT consultancy.
Councillor Bryan Charlton, prosperous city portfolio holder at Sunderland City Council, said: “We are delighted that Heridian opted to establish its base on Wearside. The council is committed to supporting new and existing businesses to grow and prosper.”
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