Telehealth and video consultations have taken precedent to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Dr. Zubair Ahmed has used pandemic to take remote healthcare a step further.
Like Syed Mohammed, Ugur Sahin, and Oezlem Tuereci, Ahmed founded the technology company Arc Health to improve access and efficiency in medical care. The company’s interface is now used in pharmacies and nursing homes across the United Kingdom.
“[Arc Health] uses connected medical devices to allow doctors to perform a full clinical examination on patients without needing to be in the same room as them,” Ahmed said. “This allows doctors all over the UK to be instantly connected with patients in areas where it can be difficult to get a convenient GP appointment.”
Zubair Ahmed’s medical experience inspires Arc Health
Ahmed founded Medicspot Digital Services, now known as Arc Health, in March 2016. He trained as a medical doctor before stepping into entrepreneurship.
Ahmed worked in England and Scotland as a General Practitioner with the United Kingdom’s National Health Service. Beginning in 2007, he contributed service to various hospital departments including cardiology, accident and emergency, and general surgery. He earned his title as general practitioner in 2012.
“Working as a GP, I saw first-hand how the traditional model of primary care was struggling.” Ahmed wrote for Pharmafield. “The broad challenges faced by the NHS, including a shortage of GPs, surgery closures and an ageing population with more complex disease, have increased the pressures on the NHS.”
Arc Health reports that 94% of received consultations are handled remotely in the UK, compared to the 40% that were handled before the introduction of their technology.
Zubair Ahmed leaps from medicine to business
Ahmed earned his Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery degree from the University of Aberdeen. He completed the five-year program in 2007.
As a medical doctor, Ahmed was a member of the Royal College of General Practitioners from 2009-2012. The UK-based Royal College uses the assessment-based medical qualification to train doctors to work in general practice.
In 2012 Ahmed founded Granite Valley. The real estate investment company of which he is now Managing Director holds both residential and healthcare investments.
Ahmed earned his MBA from London Business School in 2017. He founded his two companies, Granite Valley and Arc Health, before completing his degree.
Ahmed speaks both English and Urdu.
Arc Health makes remote appointments efficient
Arc Health’s interface includes tools like a stethoscope, contactless thermometer, pulse oximeter, blood pressure monitor, and close examination camera.
The Southampton-based company collaborates with the National Health Service and UK’s primary medical software company EMIS Health. Today, Arc Health is used in nursing homes, pharmacies, and urgent care.
“According to NHS England, as many as 30 million consultations in GP practices could be delivered in a different setting. One such setting is the often-undervalued environment of local pharmacies, offering convenient access to trained healthcare professionals,” Ahmed writes.
The video consultation paired with real-time assessment allows doctors to prescribe medications to patients virtually. Prescriptions are ready to pick up on site the end of the appointment.
“Recent events have made the problems facing care home residents even more pronounced. It is more important than ever to support the health of care home patients by offering timely access to good gold standard clinical care whilst simultaneously saving time for clinicians,” said Ahmed.
Learn more about how Arch Health here.
