Published: 22 April 2024
Two St George’s alumni have co-founded a health tech start-up dedicated to streamlining clinical administrative tasks in GP practices.
Biomedical Science alumna Hauwa Muhammad (pictured, left) and Medicine alumna Inny Oninuire (pictured, right) are co-founders of WA Health which aims to enhance patient care and alleviate the administrative burden on healthcare professionals.
Elevate the standard of patient care
Inny says: “WA Health is a forward-thinking health tech company dedicated to revolutionising document processing in the healthcare sector through cutting-edge technology. Our mission is to enhance efficiency in workflows, empower healthcare professionals and, ultimately, elevate the standard of patient care."
The inspiration for WA Health originated from our first-hand experiences as patient services officers in a GP practice. In our roles, we were tasked with the manual processing of clinical discharge letters, essential for ensuring patients received timely care following their hospital discharge.
- Inny Oninuire, Medicine alumna -
“However, it became evident that the overwhelming workload associated with manually handling these documents led to significant delays in patient care. This bottleneck not only affected patients but also placed undue strain on practice staff, including the GP's, who found themselves burdened with extensive administrative tasks."
Through this, as well as in my current role as a foundation year 1 doctor, it became increasingly clear that automation could streamline these procedures and vastly improve the experiences of both patients and GP practice staff.
- Inny Oninuire, Medicine alumna -
Mission to revolutionise healthcare
Inny and Hauwa then created WA Health to facilitate this.
Inny continues: “At present, we have developed a Minimal Viable Product that is undergoing rigorous testing to assess its effectiveness and reliability. This phase is crucial in refining our solution to meet the highest standards of performance and user experience."
Our focus remains on enhancing our product, with a commitment to launching it within a GP practice in South West London. This step represents a pivotal moment in our mission to revolutionise healthcare delivery and improve patient outcomes.
- Inny Oninuire, Medicine alumna -
“Our journey has been marked by significant milestones, including acceptance into prestigious healthcare technology accelerator programs Bethnal Green Ventures and Digital Health London. Securing investment and mentorship has been pivotal in advancing our vision and building our product."
Equipped with a rich set of skills
“Drawing from our backgrounds in Medicine and Biomedical Science at St George's, we've been equipped with a rich set of skills and qualities to fuel our passion for innovation."
Our education, particularly through methodologies like Problem-Based Learning, has instilled in us a proactive approach to tackling challenges and devising effective solutions.
- Inny Oninuire, Medicine alumna -
"We were encouraged to dissect complex problems, fostering a mindset geared towards innovation and continuous improvement. This foundation has been instrumental in driving our quest to address and enhance various aspects of healthcare.”