TN Govt Invites Entrepreneurs to Design Mobile Outreach & Therapy Unit for Differently-Abled 

It seeks to engage entrepreneurs and innovators with expertise in healthcare, mobility, and assistive technology. Contestants are urged to envision and create a mobile vehicle with the capability to provide diagnostic, therapeutic, and educational services to the intended recipients. 

In an endeavour to better serve individuals with disabilities residing in the state, the Tamil Nadu government has announced an innovative hackathon.  

The hackathon aims to invite entrepreneurs to design a cutting-edge mobile outreach and therapy unit, enhancing access to crucial services for differently abled individuals. 

Conducted in collaboration with StartupTN, a state government-backed initiative, and the Department for the Welfare of Differently Abled Persons, this design hackathon has been initiated to extend rehabilitation and outreach services to the differently abled population within Tamil Nadu. 

The hackathon is a call to entrepreneurs and innovators specialising in healthcare, mobility, and assistive technology. Participants are encouraged to conceptualise and design a mobile vehicle capable of delivering diagnostic, therapeutic, and educational services to the target audience. 

Among the comprehensive services to be provided by these mobile units are physiotherapy, audiology, speech therapy, optometry, special education, and awareness programs.  

These units will serve as a direct source of care and support, offering services such as assessment and disability information, as well as therapeutic and counselling services. 

The hackathon serves as a platform for creative minds to contribute to the welfare of differently abled individuals by designing a state-of-the-art mobile outreach and therapy unit that will positively impact the lives of many. 

Last year, the National Health Authority (NHA) hosted its inaugural hackathon for the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) in Pune. This series of hackathons, associated with the ABDM, conducted in collaboration with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pune Smart City Development Corporation Limited (PSCDCL), aimed to unite a diverse group of innovators, developers, and data specialists in a collaborative effort to generate innovative solutions aligned with the mission's goals. 

This competition sought inventive solutions to empower digital healthcare within an open network. The emphasis encompassed various practical scenarios, including teleconsultations, ambulance reservations, laboratory tests, scheduling physical consultations, and booking lab tests.  

Another aspect of the challenge aimed to expedite the creation of applications that seamlessly interface with the Universal Health Interface (UHI) and facilitate their integration with applications developed by other participants. This integration plays a critical role in enabling digital health transactions within the expansive UHI network.