Medi-Kit Scaling Health Monitoring to Rural & Regional Australia
Curtin University
The Challenge
Curtin led a pilot that brought the Healthy Connections mobile Medi-Kit digital health solution into rural and remote health contexts.
Leveraging ruggedised networking, sensors and cloud-based dashboards, the pilot enabled clinicians to diagnose and monitor chronic conditions in remote communities, without requiring patients to travel hundreds of kilometres to regional centres. The co-designed project led to early outcomesshowing good engagement from many remote communities.
Supported by Cisco’s secure networking technologies, these projects highlight how digital health can reduce inequities across Australia’s dispersed geographies, while also building scalable models for other Asia-Pacific countries facing similar rural health care challenges.
The Partnership
The project is supported by many partners including Cisco and Optus for technology support. Hancock Iron Ore for providing a 4WD, Roche Diagnostics for point-of-care devices, community and health support from Aboriginal Medical Services and community partner Ngurra Kujungka.
The Solution
The Medi-Kit is a portable, weather resistant, battery and solar-powered solution – ideal for travel On-Country. With AI decision support, edge computing, and hybrid satellite connectivity, the Medi-Kit ensures clinicians can make informed decisions anywhere, anytime – even without internet access. Data is stored securely, respecting Indigenous Data Sovereignty principles and community control. Cultural safety through co-design incorporates local language and Aboriginal motifs, and suitable health education material into the tablet-based clinical workflow. The Medi-Kit links directly to electronic medical systems, improving information flow and continuity-of-care across a fragmented regional health landscape.
Recognition & Impact
- Winner of the 2025 WAITTA INCITE Award in the Social Impact category (second year in a row)
- Finalist in the 2025 national AIIA iAwards in the Not-for-Profit & Community category (second year in a row)
Project Highlights
- Completion of a new mobile clinic fit-out of a 4WD
- Completion of the Kawu Palya mobile app, a patient companion app to the Medi-Kit
- Several trips to the Pilbara region to engage, co-design, and test the Medi-Kit and Kawu Palya app with community members
Contact Person & Details
- Associate Prof Susannah Soon, Curtin University susannah.soon@curtin.edu.au
- https://research.curtin.edu.au/research-areas/healthy-communities/healthy-connections/
Spin-off Projects
- Aboriginal health worker telehealth training hub – a distributed learning network using Medi-Kits as training simulators.
- Sovereign health data exchange – a federated, privacy-preserving health data network across remote Australia.
- Mining & remote workforce health platform – adapt the Medi-Kit for occupational health in remote mining, agriculture, and infrastructure projects.