Augmedix to employ 7000 Bangladeshis
Dhaka: Augmedix Inc, a US-based Google Glass startup and early-stage healthcare company, has announced to hire 7,000 plus employees from Bangladesh by next 5 years.
The announcement came from "Meet the Press" programme held at Augmedix Office at Pantapath in capital Dhaka on Friday.
It was also announced that the company's Co-founder Pelu Tran, and Steven Yecies, a venture partner at OrbiMed, a leading investor in the company, are visiting Dhaka from March 10-13 to meet with local business leaders to discuss the company's hiring plans.
Over the next five years, Augmedix and its partners will hire a large number of Bangladeshis in Dhaka and throughout the country to complement the company's U.S. scribes, who serve as remote personal assistants to physicians in the U.S.
State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak attended the event as the chief guest.
With Ahmadul Hoq, Managing Director, Augmedix BD Ltd, in the chair, the programme was also attended by Secretary of the ICT Division Subir Kishore Choudhury, Pelu Tran, Co-Founder, Augmedix, and Steven Yecies, a venture partner at OrbiMed.
Pelu Tran said Bangladesh is an ideal country for Augmedix operations and for connecting talented scribes with U.S doctors.
"English is spoken throughout the country, and currently 50% of the population is under 25 and very tech savvy. This combination of talent, youth and education makes for unlimited possibilities for a strong business process outsource workforce." he said.
Not only is Bangladesh a key supplier of scribe teams for the Augmedix service, but its core Augmedix software, from concept to development to testing and continuous support, is essentially "Made in Bangladesh".
The company currently employs nearly a dozen engineers and other support staff in its Panthapath office, which opened in 2012.
In December, OrbiMed became a strategic investor in Augmedix, powering a US $23 million investment round.
During their visit, Yecies and Tran will meet with various government and business leaders.
They include State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak, who has been an early and ongoing advocate for Augmedix and for establishing stronger ties between Bangladesh and Silicon Valley.
The two executives will also meet Tapan Chowdhury, Managing Director of the Square Group, which has been partnering with Augmedix to scale its clinical operations teams across Bangladesh.
Augmedix was founded in 2012 by Tran and Ian Shakil, whose father is a Bangladeshi and mother is an American. The Google Glass-powered remote scribe service frees doctors from three hours of mandated charting and documentation each day.
Before entering the exam room, a physician dons a pair of smart glasses and then proceeds to talk with patients rather than bury their head in a computer screen. Throughout the visit, a remote scribe, based in Bangladesh, will help them retrieve a patient's medical history, call up lab notes or pharmacy records, and create chart notes of the visit in real-time.
Augmedix currently serves primary care doctors, specialists and surgeons in over 30 states across the United States who together sees approximately 5,000 patients a day.
Augmedix is the first and largest Google Glass startup of any kind. Its service frees doctors from mandated charting, allowing them to focus instead on patient needs and quality care.
OrbiMed is a leading investment firm dedicated exclusively to the healthcare sector, with over US $14 billion in assets under management. OrbiMed invests globally across the spectrum of healthcare companies, from venture capital start-ups to large multinational companies.
OrbiMed maintains its headquarters in New York City, with additional offices in San Francisco, Mumbai, Shanghai, and Herzliya.