Siriraj x MIT Hacking Medicine: A success in scaling aged care in developing nations

The event drew a large crowd of participants eager to drive innovation and new ideas for aged care in developing countries, particularly in Southeast Asia.  

This aim is to continue the event to expand collaboration and create tangible change in the future.

The conference, which focused on "Scaling Aged Care in Developing Countries," brought together leading experts from various fields, including representatives from the private sector, investors, and startups playing a crucial role in developing healthcare innovations. 

The full-day conference featured a variety of activities aimed at providing knowledge about elderly care from different perspectives and facilitating discussions on sustainable solutions. These activities included panel discussions, workshops, fireside chats, and lectures by renowned speakers.

One of the highlights of the event was the launch of a new startup, "CloudNurse," which aims to develop innovations to enhance aged care in elderly care centres. CloudNurse aims to revolutionize healthcare by empowering these centres with cutting-edge technology. Their goal is to create a seamless communication system between caregivers, patients, and families to ensure smooth and high-quality patient care. This is achieved through the use of AI to reduce paperwork and administrative burdens, allowing staff to dedicate more time to patient care, thereby creating positive change in the healthcare industry while fostering a healthy and strong community. 

Prof Apichat Asavamongkolkul, M.D., Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, stated, "We recognize the urgent need to develop innovations and new solutions for aged care in developing countries. The collaboration between Siriraj and MIT in organizing Siriraj x MIT Hacking Medicine is a significant step in exchanging knowledge and experience among experts in various fields, including medicine, technology, and management. This will enable us to create sustainable and quality elderly care approaches for communities with limited resources."

Prof Zen Chu, Director of the MIT Hacking Medicine Initiative and the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences & Technology Program, added, "We believe that technology and collaborative innovation will play a crucial role in addressing the challenges of aged care, especially in developing countries. Siriraj x MIT Hacking Medicine serves as a platform that allows all sectors to generate potential ideas, which can be further developed into positive outcomes in the healthcare of the aging population in this region and beyond."

Following the conference, a hackathon will be held from November 1st to 3rd, 2024. This major event in Thailand is designed to foster brainstorming and creativity through teamwork to develop innovations for elderly care. It is open to students, academics, experts, and the general public with ideas for improving healthcare in various fields, such as engineering, medicine, design, policy management, and business management. The winners of the competition will receive "Golden Tickets" to participate in the 'MIT Grand Hack 2025' to be held in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.