Ateneo student’s life-saving app bags global award

Enrico Belga Jr.

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Ateneo student’s life-saving app bags global award
Aspiring doctor Joel Alejandro and business partner Andrea Relucio win the Sandoz HACk Healthcare Access Challenge in London, United Kingdom for 'Sali' save-a-life app which aims to universalize CPR education and training

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – For pushing for universal understanding and awareness of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) education, Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health (ASMPH) student Joel Alejandro and business partner Andrea Relucio won the Sandoz HACk Healthcare Access Challenge in London on Thursday, March 9.

Alejandro invented ‘Sali’ save-a-life app to create a population capable of administering, and motivated to do CPR anywhere and anytime. The app also connects users to a network of fellow life-savers who can provide auxiliary support.

The two represented the Philippines as one of the 6 finalist teams that spent 2 days getting feedback from experts to help them refine their pitches. On the last day of the event, they presented their final works to 5 panelists, including Sandoz CEO Richard Francis.

Alejandro and Relucio will receive seed funding worth EU 20,000 *(P1.066 million) and mentorship from all of the experts in the event to help bring their ideas into life.

“The immediate plan is to build the team who shares the same vision as we do. With that being said, it will be more on recruiting the right people who can contribute a little bit of themselves for the greater good of the project and the industry,” said Alejandro.

Relucio added: “The Philippines has poor emergency medical response. The gap in that situation is education and access to information and infrastructure. We want to provide that through equipping the people who are there first hand when the emergency happens. ‘Sali’ is our invitation for you to be part of something greater.”

Solving health problems

The 6 finalists were chosen out of 110 entries from across 30 participating countries following a robust judging process. The 5 other finalists came from Ghana, South Africa, Pakistan, and the Maldives.

The other winners are Mohammed Shuraih and Yameen Rasheed of the Maldives, and Lebene Sogo and Priscilla Adu-Darko of Ghana. 

The competition is sponsored by Sandoz Global, the generics division of the multinational pharmaceutical company Novartis International AG based in Switzerland. – Rappler.com

Rappler intern Enrico Belga Jr is a senior AB Mass Communication student from Centro Escolar University.

*EU1 = P53.31

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