Frailty germinates into health app

Health protection begins in childhood but when sickness strikes, consulting with the doctor was always a source of stress that should not be the case.

Faustino “Bam” Salvador Jr., co-founder and chief executive officer of MILA Business Solutions Corp., reduces patients’ pain through a mobile application called MILA, a health data management app for children.

Salvador, who described himself as a frail child, said easing the pain from having a disease and the trouble for those looking after them became his passion.

MILA, which stands for My Information and Lab Access, was created by Salvador and his classmates as a project in their Masters in Innovation and Business at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM).

“The app enables users to save health notes and vaccination records through images. The app stores your medical history, including your allergies, illnesses of your family members, or whether you underwent surgeries,” he said.

He shared that his school group thought of the project when students were required to make an innovative solution which will help achieve one of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Looking back at his childhood, Bam was easily drawn to improving the health sector.

“I was sickly since I was a kid. I observed that it would be a tedious process at the hospital every time I would go there with my mom,” he recalled.

“Back then when I was a kid, there were no digital tools so I had to fill out a lot of forms whenever I would go to the doctor,” Salvador continued.

MILA app was launched on 9 May, a few days before Mother’s Day. Salvador said the app is a meaningful gift to mothers and fathers, as well, which they can use to protect their families’ health more easily.

The public can avail of the app for free and download it on the company website for now. Salvador said the company already started preparing the app for downloads through Google Playstore and Apple Store.

Through the MILA app, Salvador said parents will not only easily track their kids’ health data but also instill good health habits in their children.

“Filipinos and people in other countries usually pay attention to their health when they feel sick already or when their conditions have become serious,” he said.

“The idea is that children would observe how their parents deal with health data, adopt their ways, and continue the journey. They will learn not only to manage health data but also take care of their health,” Salvador stressed.

Patients empowered

Salvador said the app stands out as a “patient-centric” tool.

“We learned that there are already health data tools developed by hospitals. They can show you your medical history faster but only if your doctor is registered on that platform,” he said.

Through multiple surveys and research, Salvador’s team was able to spot the needs of patients and draft a five-year plan to develop the company service and app features.

“By year 2, we hope that doctors can also be integrated in the app so patients can easily send their notes and medical history when needed,” he said.

Apart from this, their surveys showed patients are also seeking ways to secure medicines easily.

“We are looking for ways to integrate the MILA app with the systems of pharmacies. Can we send pharmacies prescriptions and notes saved by patients in the MILA app?” he pondered.

“The goal is to reduce the steps patients and pharmacies have to take to fulfill orders,” Salvador said.

Carrying out its mission to make patients’ health transactions less of a hassle, Salvador said his team will always see the app as a continuing and collaborative project.

“We wanted to empower patients. Down the line, if we can get 100,000 or 500,000 users, they can talk to us about what else they need. How can we make their experience better?” he said.

BPO, engineering-trained

Apart from his education at the AIM, Salvador said his work as a mechanical engineer and director at a business process outsourcing firm has helped him come up with the app’s mechanisms and design to enhance customer experience.

“My background in mechanical engineering has helped me create the right process and analyze things, while my BPO (business process outsourcing) stint has helped me deal with customers. In the case of MILA, these are what can be considered as parent ideas,” he said.

Salvador said his BPO and engineering skills turned handy when his team was brainstorming the health solution under the rigorous process of the AIM’s Capstone Project.

“The Capstone Project required a validation process for every stage of creating the innovation. For example, we had to validate if there was really a problem. Then, we had to find the solution and whether this is the right one among our other ideas,” he shared.

Amid the technological advancements globally and the persistent problems in the society, Salvador aims to ensure he himself continues to evolve.

“I started in manufacturing, then moved to the BPO industry where I worked for decades. I wanted something different and to challenge the status quo,” he said.

MILA app continues to be developed with the expertise of healthcare ventures Pulse 63 which is backed by venture capitalist Kaya.Founders.