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Newcastle-based Tunisian entrepreneurs launch medical app and startup company

Two Tunisian entrepreneurs have launched a medical app, based from their startup company in Newcastle, following a place on UK Trade & Investment’s (UKTI) Sirius Programme.

The startup company behind the app, M-Health Discovery, is a big data analytics company for the healthcare sector.

The brainchild of Tunisian nationals Mahmoud Ben Jeddou and Mohamed Ouederni, the pair have created an app that will allow medical professionals to identify medical conditions and study the spread of epidemics, especially across Africa.

M-Health Discovery is one of the latest companies to win a place on the Sirius Programme.

Launched by UKTI in September 2013, the Sirius Programme aims to attract and retain international entrepreneurial graduates to the UK, building on the UK’s position as a top destination for entrepreneurship.

The team chose the UK to develop the pilot for its epidemic diagnostic app, due to its reputation as one of the best healthcare sectors in the world.

M-Health is currently based at the Ignite business accelerator in Newcastle, making the most of all the resources the UK has to offer.

The application has the potential to improve health advice for millions of people around the world.

Survival Strategy Developer at M-Health Discovery, Mahmoud Ben Jeddou, said: “In Africa, around 5 million people die every year and 300 million get ill from epidemic disease like malaria, cholera, influenza and tuberculosis.

“Healthcare services are often few and far between, but there’s a very high penetration rate of mobile phones.

“Over 65% of the population is connected to a network, and we saw in this the potential to reach people.

“As well as giving the patients access to health information that directly concerns them and raising health awareness, we can also use the data to detect epidemics from the earliest stages.

“This will allow governments and health organisations to take the relevant precautions and make the necessary preparations to deal with widespread outbreaks of treatable diseases, preventing avoidable deaths.”

UKTI Managing Director, Investment Michael Boyd said: “More and more young people the world over are enthused by the prospect of owning their own company.

“Identifying and attracting high-quality investment is a core aim for UKTI. The UK is the most popular location in Europe for start-ups, and through our Sirius Programme we help some of the world’s most promising international graduate entrepreneurs take their ideas from a dream to reality.

“I encourage all companies thinking of setting up in the UK to contact UKTI to find out how we can help.”

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