Saudi Arabia-based internet health application technology company Sihatech just announced that it has landed $1.33 million (5 million Saudi Arabia Riyals) in its latest funding round. The funding was led by Saudi Aramco Entrepreneurship Ventures, with Waseel Application Service Provider also participating. 

“It is one of the first portals in the region that markets the full patient journey from the minute of [provider] selection to diagnosis to the results, all the way to the medications,” Ahmed Al-Bader, cofounder and CEO of Sihatech, told MobiHealthNews. “All of that is integrated in the patients’ iPhones or small devices.”

The team plans to use the funding to grow its coding services and integrate with more hospitals and larger health information systems. It also is looking to move into different markets and expand its geographical footprint in the region. Al-Bader noted that the company is specifically looking at expanding to Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt. 

Sihatech has been looking for ways to better connect its users’ medical records. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a goal of 70 percent penetration of a unified medical record by 2020, according to the company. Sihatech said it wants to work towards this goal by integrating with hospitals’ systems and giving its users the option to integrate their records into a single file. 

Currently, the platform coordinates with multiple different facets of the healthcare system. One of its main services is linking patients to doctors, and allowing patients to request doctors who speak the same language as them and are a specific gender. 

The service has also helps patients figure out how to finance medical costs not covered by insurance by connecting patients with banks. This can be for specific medical or cosmetic procedures. 

The company is currently developing Sihatech 2.0, which will expand to include a home health component and will link people in need with visiting nurses. It boasts over 2,000 doctors from 30 different hospitals and medical centers across Saudi Arabia. 

Al-Bader said that the system will allow doctors to work more proficiently because they can coordinate more easily with patients. 

“Our mission is to put care back in healthcare,” Al-Bader said. “Our system will allow transparency between doctors and patients. It will allow the government and insurers to see the type of services [being offered] instantly.”