The telemedicine tool created by Guatemalans received the National Innovation Award (PNI) 2021, from the National Secretariat of Science and Technology Guatemala (Senacyt).
The digital platform for telemedicine and remote monitoring, Bitmec, was awarded the PNI in the category of Childhood and Adolescence. Senacyt presented the winners of the eight categories at an event held in October 2021.
The Bitmec project was developed by professionals from various universities in Guatemala. Its purpose was to create a comprehensive telemedicine system, which included the platform, a mobile app and biomedical devices, for the health care of children and adolescents.
"We have been recognized nationally and internationally, what enriches us is giving Guatemala credits in technology and startups that have an impact, not only economically but also socially," explained Lorena Chacón, co-founder of Bitmec.
The platform facilitates access to primary health care, thanks to medical devices that allow remote monitoring of children in the development stage. In addition, it has a mobile application that collects the information to create a digital medical record.
In this sense, thanks to biomedical tools, devices can measure the level of oxygen in the blood, blood pressure, body temperature, heart rate, height and weight.
On the other hand, the event was attended by the Ministry of Economy, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef), the Korea International Cooperation Agency (Koica ), the Technical Commission for Industry and the Technical Commission for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
“This year, Senacyt received 74 proposals, increasing citizen participation, compared to previous years. This shows that Guatemala is a country that bets on innovation as a fundamental axis for its development. I appreciate the support of the cooperators and allies who made the culmination of the 2021 National Innovation Award possible, for once again believing in this initiative and following up on the winners so that they can broaden the horizons of their innovations to increase their impact”, explained Ana Chan. , national secretary of the Senacyt.
