Why we built Medisage

A few years ago, my father returned from a pilgrimage with what initially appeared to be a routine cough.

Another relative who had travelled with him was diagnosed with H1N1 and was admitted to hospital in a serious condition. As a precaution, my father underwent several investigations — tests for tuberculosis, chest X-rays, cancer screening and other examinations.

Everything came back negative.

But the cough did not go away.

After further consultations, doctors diagnosed him with a progressive lung condition. They spoke to me privately and explained that it was irreversible and that its progression could, in time, become rapid.

It was a devastating moment.

My father had always been active — my mentor, guide and source of strength. Suddenly, we were facing a disease for which there was no cure and very limited treatment.

I began searching desperately for answers. I spent countless nights reading research papers, searching online, exploring Ayurveda and alternative therapies, and trying to understand developments happening anywhere in the world.

Eventually, the doctors recommended one of the few approved medicines available globally at the time. Treatment began, and life moved forward.

Then COVID-19 arrived.

My father was among the most vulnerable people because of his lung condition. Despite all our precautions, he was admitted to hospital after testing positive, although he remained largely asymptomatic. More X-rays were taken, new medicines were added, and his existing treatment continued.

Over the years, the disease kept progressing.

One problem never went away

Throughout this journey, one problem remained constant: managing and communicating his medical history was extraordinarily difficult.

Every doctor visit required us to carry thick files of reports, prescriptions, scans and test results. When we consulted a new doctor, we had to explain years of medical history within a few minutes.

Specialist pulmonologists often had very little time to review the complete history. Other doctors sometimes did not fully understand how a new prescription might interact with his existing medicines or health conditions. Reports were occasionally misplaced, buried inside files or arranged in the wrong order.

Important changes across years of tests were difficult to see.

I wanted a simpler way to remove these repetitive and mundane tasks so that patients, families and doctors could focus on what really mattered: understanding the patient and making better decisions.

From a manual case history to a product

I initially created a manual chronological case history for my father. I organised reports, prescriptions, consultations and major health events so that I could provide doctors with a clearer picture.

When the AI era began, I experimented with automating parts of this work — extracting information, generating summaries and preparing updates.

As I shared the idea with friends, I realised that the problem was much larger than my own family.

Some struggled to manage their children's vaccination and medical records. Some wanted to preserve prescriptions so that they could refer to them later. Others were caring for ageing parents with multiple chronic conditions and medications.

Slowly, the pieces began to come together.

One idea became one feature. One feature became another. Some months brought progress; others brought difficult lessons. Over the last two years, the idea has gradually developed into a usable product.

That product is Medisage.

Medisage is being built to help individuals and families capture, organise and understand their medical records over time. It aims to make health history easier to carry, easier to explain and easier to share — with the patient's consent — when it matters most.

It is intended to reduce the burden of managing years of records, and to give healthcare professionals a clearer view of the patient's journey.

Medisage began with my father's story, but it is being built for every family that has struggled with scattered reports, forgotten prescriptions and the fear of not having the right information at the right moment.

My pursuit to improve lives by sharing what I have learned continues.

Someday, I hope Medisage will benefit everyone who needs it.