Breaking barriers: Once paralysed, Dr Saira completes $6 million raise for health tech company MedIQ

In 2019, Dr. Saira found herself lying motionless in a hospital bed, paralysed from a near-fatal car accident that resulted in the death of the driver. A public health expert with a PhD in health economics and a career that spanned the World Bank and Punjab’s Health Care Commission, she had always been on the policy side of healthcare. But now, she was the patient and for the next year, she would remain one.

“I didn’t need to be in a hospital that long,” she reflects. “I needed rehabilitation, monitoring, and continuity of care, not just a bed. If systems were connected digitally, that could be achieved.”

That realisation sparked the idea for MedIQ, a healthcare startup that combines digital infrastructure, AI, and on-ground services to enable integrated patient care across the full spectrum of healthcare providers. Today the company announced raising $6 million from Rasmal Ventures in Qatar and Joa Capital in Saudi Arabia, with follow-on investment from existing backers. 

Founded in Pakistan in 2020, MedIQ expanded to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2023, building momentum in healthcare across the region. 

The MedIQ vision

To understand MedIQ’s vision, it’s crucial to understand Pakistan’s healthcare infrastructure. Pakistan’s healthcare system is chronically underfunded, deeply fragmented, and heavily skewed toward urban centers. With less than 1 doctor per 1,000 people, a patchy referral system, and underdeveloped digital health infrastructure, continuity of care is rare. Out-of-pocket spending remains high, especially for outpatient services, which make up a significant burden for middle-income households.

Public hospitals are overcrowded; private care is expensive and inconsistent. Digital health records are virtually non-existent at scale, and interoperability is unheard of. In rural areas, patients often travel long distances just for basic consultations and there’s little data continuity across providers.