Close Menu
TechCentralTechCentral

    Subscribe to the newsletter

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    WhatsApp Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    • News

      The algorithm will sing now: why musicians should be worried about AI

      20 June 2025

      Sita hits back at critics, promises faster, automated procurement

      20 June 2025

      The transatlantic race to create the first television

      20 June 2025

      Listed: All the MVNOs in South Africa – 2025 edition

      19 June 2025

      TCS | Tech, townships and tenacity: Spar’s plan to win with Spar2U

      19 June 2025
    • World

      Watch | Starship rocket explodes in setback to Musk’s Mars mission

      19 June 2025

      Trump Mobile dials into politics, profit and patriarchy

      17 June 2025

      Samsung plots health data hub to link users and doctors in real time

      17 June 2025

      Beijing’s chip champions blacklisted by Taiwan

      16 June 2025

      China is behind in AI chips – but for how much longer?

      13 June 2025
    • In-depth

      Meta bets $72-billion on AI – and investors love it

      17 June 2025

      MultiChoice may unbundle SuperSport from DStv

      12 June 2025

      Grok promised bias-free chat. Then came the edits

      2 June 2025

      Digital fortress: We go inside JB5, Teraco’s giant new AI-ready data centre

      30 May 2025

      Sam Altman and Jony Ive’s big bet to out-Apple Apple

      22 May 2025
    • TCS

      TCS+ | AfriGIS’s Helen Hulett on how tech can help resolve South Africa’s water crisis

      18 June 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E2: South Africa’s digital battlefield

      16 June 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E1: Starlink, BEE and a new leader at Vodacom

      8 June 2025

      TCS+ | The future of mobile money, with MTN’s Kagiso Mothibi

      6 June 2025

      TCS+ | AI is more than hype: Workday execs unpack real human impact

      4 June 2025
    • Opinion

      South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

      17 June 2025

      AI and the future of ICT distribution

      16 June 2025

      Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

      13 June 2025

      Beyond the box: why IT distribution depends on real partnerships

      2 June 2025

      South Africa’s next crisis? Being offline in an AI-driven world

      2 June 2025
    • Company Hubs
      • Africa Data Centres
      • AfriGIS
      • Altron Digital Business
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Altron Group
      • Arctic Wolf
      • AvertITD
      • Braintree
      • CallMiner
      • CYBER1 Solutions
      • Digicloud Africa
      • Digimune
      • Domains.co.za
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • Incredible Business
      • iONLINE
      • Iris Network Systems
      • LSD Open
      • NEC XON
      • Network Platforms
      • Next DLP
      • Ovations
      • Paracon
      • Paratus
      • Q-KON
      • SevenC
      • SkyWire
      • Solid8 Technologies
      • Telit Cinterion
      • Tenable
      • Vertiv
      • Videri Digital
      • Wipro
      • Workday
    • Sections
      • AI and machine learning
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud services
      • Contact centres and CX
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Electronics and hardware
      • Energy and sustainability
      • Enterprise software
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Lifestyle
      • Motoring
      • Public sector
      • Retail and e-commerce
      • Science
      • SMEs and start-ups
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Events
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home » News » Figure 1: Instagram for doctors launched in SA

    Figure 1: Instagram for doctors launched in SA

    By Regardt van der Berg1 December 2014
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    News Alerts
    WhatsApp
    Dr Joshua Landy
    Dr Joshua Landy

    A medical application that allows healthcare professionals to share photos of patient cases and get input from their colleagues around the world has been launched in South Africa.

    Figure 1 is like Instagram for doctors and is already used by more than 150 000 healthcare professionals worldwide. According to the company behind it, the app’s images are viewed more than a million times a day.

    “As a practising critical care physician, I see a lot of very interesting but also complex cases,” says Figure 1 co-founder and chief medical officer Dr Joshua Landy. “I work in an intensive care unit among the sickest patients, and when I see a patient whose illness is very complex, I want to share their case with another colleague to get their thoughts or inputs.”

    In medicine, there is a strong culture of sharing cases, Landy says. “It is intrinsic to the practice.”

    South Africa is the seventh market in which Figure 1 has been launched and follows launches in North America, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. It is, however, a sort of homecoming for the company as three key members of its management team have roots here. CEO and cofounder Gregory Levey and director of communications and partnerships Kelly Aizicowitz were both born in South Africa, while Landy’s father was raised in the country.

    “Having a way to collect these valuable and educational assets seemed like great idea, so what I wanted to do with Figure 1 was to harness all these clinical experiences among all these healthcare professionals and make them into a resource that anybody can use and learn from, and use to help their patients,” says Landy.

    The first version of Figure 1 was launched in May 2013.

    Figure-1a--640

    The reason the company is taking a phased approach to the roll-out of its platform is to make sure the appropriate privacy rules and consent forms and policies for every region are followed. “The only way this will succeed is for people to genuinely feel that they can trust our software.”

    Landy says patient privacy is a key priority. The company has worked with South African lawyers to ensure the platform complies with privacy laws. An automatic facial blocking tool recognises and blocks patients’ faces, while a draw feature allows healthcare professionals to block potentially identifying markers such as tattoos.

    A South African-specific patient consent form is also built into the app.

    Before a photo is made available to the Figure 1 community, it is reviewed by the privacy moderation team who check that it adheres to guidelines.

    The feedback from the medical fraternity has been supportive, says Landy. “The idea that medical education ends at the end of medical school is something of an untruth. People who work and live their lives in medicine are required by their local colleges to continue their education throughout their careers.”

    Over the next six months, Figure 1 intends stepping up its internationalisation efforts, including expanding into more markets in Africa.

    Figure 1 is available on Android and iOS devices, but any Web-connected device can access it via its website.  — © 2014 NewsCentral Media



    Figure 1 Figure 1 app Instagram Joshua Landy
    Subscribe to TechCentral Subscribe to TechCentral
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticleTelkom FTTH prices, plans revealed
    Next Article DA gives Cwele, Muthambi failing grades

    Related Posts

    Shrimp Jesus and the AI ad invasion

    4 June 2025

    Zuckerberg eyed Instagram spinoff from Meta

    16 April 2025

    The fediverse: passing fad or a real alternative to Big Tech?

    15 March 2025
    Company News

    Making IT happen: how Trade Link gears up to enable SA retail strategies

    20 June 2025

    Why parents choose CambriLearn for online education

    19 June 2025

    Disrupt first, ask questions later – the uncomfortable truth about incident response

    18 June 2025
    Opinion

    South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

    17 June 2025

    AI and the future of ICT distribution

    16 June 2025

    Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

    13 June 2025

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2025 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.