MIT Solve Selects Singapore's Equitech for AI Healthcare Innovation with Medibot

Equitech Collective, a Singapore-based technology innovator, has been named a 2024 Solver team by the esteemed MIT Solve initiative. Out of more than 2,200 applications from 130 countries, Equitech’s AI solution, Medibot, was selected as one of the thirty winning teams. The announcement was made during the Solve Challenge Finals in New York City, coinciding with the United Nations General Assembly and Climate Week.

Medibot is an AI-powered clinical decision support chatbot designed to assist healthcare providers with instant, locally relevant, guideline-based medical advice. Accessible via WhatsApp and Telegram and supported in multiple languages, Medibot delivers clinical guidance tailored to a doctor’s local healthcare setting. This innovation promotes safer, evidence-based medical practices, enhances doctors’ clinical decision-making abilities, and improves patient outcomes—particularly crucial in regions where medical resources are scarce.

“Medibot harnesses the power of AI to help doctors deliver better care for patients in health systems across lower-middle-income countries (LMICs), where clinical resources are scarce relative to mounting healthcare needs,” said Chi Ling Chan, Founder and Director of Equitech.

Addressing Critical Gaps in Healthcare

The specific problem Medibot addresses is the significant gap in clinical competency and the challenges in effective clinical decision-making among newly expanded healthcare workforces in primary health care (PHC) settings, such as in Timor-Leste. Despite successful efforts to increase the number of healthcare professionals, the quality of care remains suboptimal due to limited opportunities for workforce development, particularly for less experienced health workers practicing in remote areas with limited access to clinical oversight, supportive supervision, or continuous professional development.

Without access to experienced professionals or evidence-based medical guidelines, these healthcare providers often rely on informal, peer-to-peer advice through platforms like WhatsApp. This practice results in inconsistent and inaccurate medical advice, further exacerbating the problem of inadequate medical decision support.

Medibot aims to bridge this gap by providing immediate, reliable, and easily accessible guidance based on Ministry of Health-approved documents and guidelines. By integrating with widely used communication channels like WhatsApp and Telegram, and supporting local languages such as Tetun, Medibot ensures that healthcare providers can access crucial clinical guidance at their fingertips.

Empowering Healthcare Providers and Improving Patient Care

Their solution is tailored to support government primary healthcare providers, including physicians, nurses, and other healthcare workers in Timor-Leste’s public health sector. The goal is to equip these professionals with tools and resources that enhance their clinical decision-making, which in turn improves patient care by enabling more accurate diagnoses, timely treatments, and reducing unnecessary hospital referrals.

Medibot indirectly benefits the 1.3 million patients who depend on government primary healthcare services in Timor-Leste. By increasing healthcare workers’ competence and confidence, the overall quality of primary healthcare services is expected to improve, resulting in better health outcomes for patients and more efficient use of healthcare resources.

A Collaborative Effort

Equitech’s approach emphasizes strong partnerships with organizations on the ground and local capacity efforts. For Medibot, they are collaborating with Associação Maluk Timor (MT), a local NGO registered in Timor-Leste. MT supports Timor-Leste’s Ministry of Health by strengthening primary healthcare and has a presence in all 14 municipalities of the country.

In the collaboration with MT, the team’s approach involves deploying engineers to work directly within integrated teams alongside ground operational staff. This strategy enables them to collect real-time user feedback, which is essential for both advancing the technology behind Medibot and improving the ongoing pilot program with local healthcare professionals.

The Transformative Power of AI in Healthcare

The selection of Medibot by MIT Solve underscores the growing importance of AI in addressing global healthcare challenges. AI technologies like Medibot can play a pivotal role in enhancing healthcare delivery by providing timely, accurate, and context-specific medical guidance.

“Technology can be transformative for healthcare and help overcome quality, accessibility, and affordability barriers,” noted Associate Professor Jeremy Lim, public health specialist and Senior Advisor to Boston Consulting Group. “It is so crucial that these benefits are shared with LMICs, and it is heartening to see Equitech play a central role in making AI accessible for all.”

Recent insights highlight the significant impact AI can have on healthcare systems worldwide. For instance, McKinsey & Company reported that AI could potentially save up to $360 billion annually¹  in the U.S. healthcare system by improving clinical operations and quality, as well as reducing waste and fraud. This substantial savings potential reflects AI’s ability to optimize scheduling, automate administrative tasks, and enhance supply chain management—efficiencies that can be transformative when applied globally, especially in resource-constrained settings.

Moreover, the World Health Organization projects a global shortage of 15 million healthcare workers by 2030² , emphasizing the critical role of AI in mitigating workforce challenges, particularly in LMICs. AI tools like Medibot can support existing healthcare providers by enhancing their capabilities and enabling them to serve more patients effectively. By providing instant access to guideline-based medical advice, Medibot helps bridge the gap caused by the shortage of healthcare professionals, ensuring that patients receive timely and accurate care.

Scaling Medibot

Equitech’s inclusion in MIT Solve’s 2024 Solver class marks a significant milestone in its mission to leverage AI for global health equity. As the company prepares to scale Medibot in Timor-Leste and explore opportunities in other LMICs, it stands at the forefront of a movement to harness advanced technologies in addressing fundamental healthcare challenges.

By bringing cutting-edge AI solutions to the front lines of healthcare, Equitech and its partners are paving the way for a more accessible and effective global healthcare system. Their work exemplifies how innovation, collaboration, and a commitment to equity can drive transformative change in some of the world’s most underserved communities.

1. McKinsey & Company. (2023). The potential for artificial intelligence in healthcare.

2. World Health Organization. (2022). Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health: Workforce 2030.