Mediot, the connected health subsidiary of the Moroccan group ABA Technology, delivered this week in Riyadh its first medical cabins connected to the Saudi Ministry of Health. Here is everything you need to know about this “made in Morocco” innovation.

ABA Technology , which established itself at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic by supporting the Ministry of Health in the national vaccination campaign (infrared thermometers and oximeters), has strengthened its position in the field of manufacturing medical equipment by creating in 2021 its subsidiary Mediot to invest in the world of connected health. After creating monitoring and telemedicine stations installed in Moroccan vaccinodromes, it continued with connected medical cabins , the first of which was exhibited in Marrakech at the African Congress on Health Security in November 2022.

This week, this subsidiary delivered its first cabins to the Saudi Ministry of Health in Riyadh , in the presence of the Saudi Deputy Minister of Health, Abdulaziz bin Hamad Al-Rumaih. This ministry will install them in different sanitary and non-sanitary structures, tells us Mohamed Benouda , founding president of ABA Technology. A feat for this young Moroccan group which has developed a high-tech medical device ” made in Morocco “, produced with a local integration rate of 85%.

Connected medical cabins cost between 55,000 and 70,000 dollars each

“The connected medical cabin works both for telemedicine and assisted local consultation using 12 connected medical devices (temperature, saturation, tensiometer, ECG, dermoscope, ultrasound, etc.). It also includes a complete computerized patient record interfaced with hospital information systems. The cabin was designed and developed by Mediot by mobilizing a local industrial ecosystem to manufacture it: hardware (Nextronic), embedded software (Digieye), materials and structure (Injectium)”, specifies Mr. Benouda.

The company already has an order book to deliver connected medical cabins in Morocco and abroad. Its production capacity is 2 cabins per day, but this is expandable depending on the market. Depending on the technological options with which they are equipped, these cabins cost between 55,000 and 70,000 dollars per unit.

More details on this innovation in the interview below with the president of ABA Technology.

——————————-

Mohamed Benouda: ” The connected cabins of Mediot will be integrated into the Telemedicine training programs at the level of the Faculties of Medicine”

– Tell us a bit about the birth of the Mediot subsidiary…

The “manufacturing of medical equipment” activity started in 2020 with Covid-19, fitting perfectly into “made in Morroco” with the development and industrialization of infrared thermometers and oximeters. These two medical devices were initially manufactured by our subsidiary Nextronic given its expertise in the engineering and manufacture of electronic cards. 

In 2021, we created Mediot “Medical IoT” to bring particular expertise in the field of connected and advanced health, and combine both the manufacturing expertise of medical devices and that of the IOT to make everything connected and in real time. The first products of this subsidiary were monitoring stations (temperature, pressure, ECG, oxygen saturation level in the blood) and telemedicine which were installed in several digital vaccinodromes for pre-vaccination consultation. 

We strengthened our technical capabilities at the beginning of 2022, by engineers specialized in bio-medical engineering and medical IT, doctors, experts in IoT hardware, materials and structure… A real multidisciplinary team was thus structured to accelerate the launch of new products and above all reduce the time-to-market cycle. 

The first connected medical cabin was exhibited in Marrakech at the African Congress on Health Security in November 2022, in the presence of the adviser to His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him, Mr. André Azoulay, the Head of Government, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare as well as the Minister of Industry and Trade. 

– Are the cabins delivered to Saudi Arabia the first ones manufactured by Mediot?

In a highly technological and niche sector, to exist, it is absolutely necessary to turn to the international with recognized world standards which make it possible to establish requirements in terms of product design, bio-medical engineering, software platforms , connectivity and ultimately hardware-software integration. 

“Ndirou NIYA” and setting the bar very high allowed us to deliver the first cabins for Saudi Arabia while developing local partnerships to provide maintenance and after-sales service. 

Our client is the Ministry of Health of this sister country, which will use the open cabins for health centers and hospitals, and the closed cabins for airports, malls as well as at the level of religious sites in Mecca and of Medina. 

– Are there other customers that you will deliver soon in Morocco or abroad?

Of course, we have an order book both for Morocco and abroad. 

– Has the Moroccan Ministry of Health expressed interest or been approached by your group?

It should be noted that the Ministry of Health and Social Protection has strongly supported Made-In-Morroco since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. We have built together, in a public-private partnership, success stories:  

• The traceability of the Covid-19 vaccine cold chain, subsequently extending it to all heat-sensitive products (insulin, serums, PNI program vaccines, etc.) at the level of health centers, main depots, Cold rooms…
• The deployment of integrated Smart vaccinodromes

The Ministry supports local initiatives and is always seeking to innovate to further digitize the care pathway and guarantee a quality healthcare offer. The first cabins will be delivered for the Bab Mrisa digital prevention and vaccination center in Salé.

We also had support from the Head of Government, the Ministry of Industry and Trade as well as the Ministry of Higher Education and Research to integrate these cabins into the Telemedicine training program at the level of Faculties of Medicine.

– What is the manufacturing capacity of medical cabins by Mediot?

We have a manufacturing capacity of one to two cabins per day. But our production unit, which also manufactures telemedicine carts and other types of medical equipment, is expandable. What we have learned from the Covid episode is modularity and resilience. Thus, we have developed a certain agility to adapt to demand and honor our commitments on time and with the desired quality. This is the very guideline of our group, whatever the subsidiaries. 

– The cost of acquiring such a cabin by a care structure is approximately how much?

The connected medical cabin works both for telemedicine and assisted local consultation using 12 connected medical devices (temperature, saturation, blood pressure monitor, ECG, dermoscope, ultrasound scanner, etc.) and also includes a complete computerized patient file interfaced with hospital information systems. Depending on the options, number of medical devices and data storage, as well as other parameters, the price can vary between $55,000 and $70,000.