MUrgency Inc, the San Francisco based tech company which has developed MUrgency - UN RESEAU GLOBAL DE REPONSE D’URGENCE (One Global Emergency Response Network) cloud platform and mobile app, joined the Business Call to Action (BCtA) with a commitment to assist half a million people at the base of the pyramid by the end of 2015 through the MUrgency platform.
MUrgency’s commitment to BCtA is focused on building a worldwide, decentralized emergency response network that can be accessed by one tap on the mobile phone – ensuring that anyone in an emergency gets a helping hand when they need it most.
BCtA is a global initiative that aims to support the private sector’s efforts to fight poverty through its core business. It is supported by several international organizations and hosted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
BCtA programme manager Suba Sivakumaran said:
Building an integrated emergency response network on mobile phones to connect individuals with timely and affordable care not only signals a major step in inclusive business, but has the potential to save millions of lives. We commend MUrgency for making emergency response a priority for bottom-of-the-pyramid communities especially in the developing world where almost no infrastructure exists at present for reliable emergency response.
A serious problem
Currently, some 6.25 billion people worldwide lack access to a reliable emergency response system in case of emergency. Even the three quarters of a billion people who can obtain reliable response often have to deal with enormous expenses and delays. According to WHO estimates, more people die from lack of timely care than from Aids, TB and malaria combined. To address this situation, MUrgency is developing an emergency response system that is available to anyone with mobile network access.
MUrgency has launched the public beta version of its MUrgency mobile app with the ambitious target of providing global emergency response coverage by January 2020 through its One World, One Emergency Response Network campaign.
MUrgency’s One Global Emergency Response Network combines the mobile app with a cloud platform that connects individuals needing emergency response with their trusted network, other MUrgency App users or credentialed medical, safety, rescue and assistance professionals as the situation requires and the individual in emergency requests. This innovative mobile app is now available for download on both iOS and Android platforms.
According to MUrgency’s founder and CEO Shaffi Mather:
It is well known that timely medical assistance is the most critical factor in saving lives. Unfortunately, it is not readily available to 90 percent of world’s population. At MUrgency, it is our mission to make fast emergency medical assistance available across the world by 2020 with just the tap on your phone.
Mather founded Ziqitza Health Care Limited in 2005; today that company has grown into the developing world’s largest emergency ambulance service, transporting more than 2 million patients each year in more than 1,300 ambulances. MUrgency builds upon the experience of Mather and other startup team members from the Silicon Valley in US and Asia in emergency response, GIS technology, cloud platforms and mobile app development.
How the app works
The MUrgency network leverages the power of mobile technology and mobile phone networks to create a seamless global emergency response network that aims to revolutionize emergency response by connecting people who need help directly with trained responders. On the supply side, the network aggregates existing emergency responder resources – doctors, nurses, EMTs, paramedics and ambulances – validates their credentials and adds them to the MUrgency network. On the demand side, users who need help can call for a MUrgency responder with one tap on the MUrgency mobile app.
Users can also set up a trusted network of friends, neighbors, and loved ones who will also be informed of the emergency and receive the user’s geo-location when the emergency alert is triggered. MUrgency app has several innovative personal safety features built into it. In addition, MUrgency has a communication platform that includes chat, video, audio and photo messaging.
While the platform and app are available globally, the MUrgency responder network is being rolled out region by region, starting with Punjab in India, following strict validation of responders’ credentials.
For more information, please contact Sam-Omar Hall of MUrgency at s.hall@MUrgency.com or Tatiana Bessarabova of Business Call to Action at tatiana.bessarabova@undp.org
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