Dr. Nelya Melnitchouk, theFounder and CEO of the ‘Global Medical Knowledge Alliance’, participated in a panel discussion titled “Digital Health: Assisting Ukraine and Addressing the Aftermath of Humanitarian Crises”. The event took place on March 8th in Austin, Texas, USA, as part of the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) festival.

Other participants in the discussion included Dr. Jaron Lee, co-founder of Health Tech Without Borders (HTWB), Professor Mary Shovstark from Yale University and Dr. Milton Chen, CEO of “VSee telehealth.”

The attendees addressed the digitization and implementation of technological solutions in healthcare, which offer new opportunities for improving the quality of medical care. A significant part of the discussion focused on innovations in telemedicine developed within international initiatives aimed at supporting Ukraine during the full-scale Russian invasion.

“In 2022, our team came up with the idea to develop the HealUA mobile application, which allows Ukrainian doctors to conduct teleconsultations and receive advice from other medical colleagues. This solution is extremely important, especially in crisis situations when regular communication channels and assistance algorithms may not work,” says Nelya Melnitchouk.

As the founder of GMKA, Nelya emphasized the importance of developing cooperation among all organizations working to assist Ukrainian doctors and patients.

“Both the HealUA mobile application and other GMKA initiatives are implemented by a community of people striving to make Ukraine better. However, for truly significant changes, we need the involvement of a wide range of stakeholders and fruitful cooperation with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, medical institution leaders, patient organizations and responsible business representatives,” adds the surgeon.

About South by Southwest (SXSW):

South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual festival consisting of a series of scientific, educational, musical, film and media festivals that have been taking place since 1987 in mid-March in Austin, Texas, USA. In recent years, the event has lasted for 10 days.