Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies present us with myriad of opportunities for social and human services – reaching more people, especially those who are vulnerable, hard to reach or left behind – on our most vexing social and environmental problems.
Social innovators are tackling some of the world’s greatest threats with the aid of 4IR tools. The Schwab Foundation’s social entrepreneur community has improved the lives of more than 622 million people in 190 countries and distributed $6.7 billion in loans or value of products and services to improve livelihoods.
From transforming mental healthcare to providing a billion people with a digital identity, this is how social innovators are embracing the power of disruptive technologies to better solve the world’s big challenges.
Sabahat Azim, CEO & Founder, Glocal Healthcare
Telemedicine comes in many shapes and sizes and offers many advantages over the traditional healthcare visit, but it is still largely underutilized. Sabahat Azim, CEO and Founder of Glocal Healthcare is changing that. Glocal Healthcare Systems is a process and technology-based healthcare platform focused on delivering accessible, affordable and accountable healthcare.
Glocal Healthcare was founded in 2010 in response to the vast need for healthcare services in India, especially in rural areas where more than 28 million people living in remote and under-served areas are estimated not to have access to affordable and accountable healthcare services.
Glocal Healthcare Systems is credited with achieving vast improvements in healthcare service delivery. Over the past 10 years, the company has built 10 fully functional, 100-bed multi-specialty hospitals in states including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal. It has set up 250 digital dispensaries, which provide video consultations, examination, investigations and automated medicine dispensing.
"We all should feel privileged for the life we have got. We must try to do good for others and respect the support we have received from our parents. That is my philosophy in life, and I feel great if I can do something for my countrymen," says Azim.
