Healthcare Technology Entrepreneur: Dr. Vikram Kumar

Providing healthcare in developing countries often poses unique challenges: Electricity comes and goes; Internet access is unreliable; and various resources are in limited supply. Addressing these challenges is where Dr. Vikram Sheel Kumar, 30, has found his niche. As co-founder of Dimagi, Vikram leads a team that creates technologies specially customized for the conditions encountered in the developing world. For example, it has co-developed an open-source electronic medical records system in Zambia. Patients have smart cards that contain their medical records. This technology gives healthcare workers access to patients’ information in places where telecommunications are limited and paper records aren’t working. Another innovation is Ca:sh, a mobile electronic medical records system. Outreach workers that visit patients have a handheld device, and the Ca:sh software application on it lets them access patients’ information and enter updates. To learn more about Vikram and Dimagi, check out this week’s Young & Professional Profile.