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Designed to help organisations reduce sickness levels by building a happy, healthy and resilient workforce, Medintu allows employees to track their health and connect with specialists, GPs and coaches, directly from their smartphone.

The online platform is already used by 120,000 people in India, with clients including local authority services, pharmaceutical manufacturers and IT service businesses. Now, after completing regulatory registration with Care Quality Commission, Medintu is ready to be rolled out across the UK from its base at the North East Business and Innovation Centre (BIC).

Medintu is the brainchild of CEO Reddy Sanikommu, who also runs IT consulting business Sajva Services at the BIC, and who recognised the potential of digital technology to give patients more control over their health by providing insights into their wellbeing and easy access to specialists.

Reddy said: “The idea came from personal experience and discussions with a close friend who has a long-term health issue. It suddenly struck me that unlike all other areas of our lives, health management remains one of the only things we have very little access to online, yet it is the most important issue to every one of us.

“We are used to tracking things like exercise and calorie consumption and even seeking support from groups. But there is a gap in the market for an online platform that takes a holistic approach to health and wellbeing – emphasis on preventative care but with the power to connect them to the specialist services when action is needed.”

The private health care and wellbeing app is designed to help engage and empower individuals with easy access to online self-assessments and specialist information, and the ability to track and monitor the progress of key health indicators such as lifestyle, stress, energy and mood levels. Health MOTs covering physical, medical and mental assessments are provided by a bank of Medintu experts at the convenience of employees at their workplace and qualified online specialists provide personal guidance to improve overall health and wellbeing.

By constantly educating and engaging employees, Medintu aims to help businesses to achieve wellbeing goals, spot early signs of health issues and guide employees to stay healthy, happy and productive.

Nanduri Samba Siva Rao, Head of the Andhra Pradesh Police Department in southern India, has used the Medintu platform for its 58,000 employees for the past three years. He said: “Employee engagement is key to the growing demands of our business. The Medintu platform has contributed to improving productivity and reducing sickness by delivering specialist healthcare services. It has helped us to take data driven decisions to achieve wellbeing goals.”

Reddy has worked closely with the BIC as his businesses have grown and evolved over the past six years and advisers have helped to put in place the foundations to launch Medintu in the UK.

Reddy said: “The BIC have played a crucial role in helping us get to where we are today. They’ve built a whole community around us, introducing us to exactly the right contacts and creating effortless conversations with people who have been incredibly useful to us in developing the analytical side of the platform and joining up health services.

“My story serves as a great example of how the BIC makes the transition really easy from a sole trader working in the co-working space, to taking an office and then branching out overseas. Their friendly, straightforward way of working has made each step along the way so much easier.”

The BIC’s Business Development Manager Louise Hardy added: “There is a real shift towards people taking responsibility for their own health and wellbeing and this kind of online platform harnesses the power of digital technology to empower and motivate them.

“Existing Medintu customers are clearly impressed by the results in the workplace too and I look forward to hearing the success stories of UK businesses benefiting from happier, healthier employees very soon.”