From pills to pixels – bridging the gap between patient care and technology

Xie Qihuang, pictured at the NUS Pharmacy Practice Skills Hub, conceptualised Hesyra as a healthtech project dedicated to helping healthcare providers improve patient care through effective tech-enabled solutions.

Xie Qihuang’s friends and relatives told him that taking a gap year would derail his carefully planned career. They were worried about adding another year to his already lengthy journey, which included a four-year scholarship bond. But Qihuang, a 26-year-old NUS Pharmacy graduate, took a leap of faith and used the time to participate in the NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC) programme. That decision would sow the seeds for Hesyra, his ambitious healthtech project aimed at helping to digitalise mundane administrative tasks so that healthcare providers can focus on patient care. 

To broaden his worldview, Qihuang opted for the year-long NOC programme in Sweden, driven by two key factors: its thriving health-tech scene and its unique ‘lagom’ culture, a Swedish word which embodies their philosophy of balance and moderation in all aspects of life. He wanted to learn from one of the leading healthcare innovation hubs in Europe while also being exposed to a more balanced life philosophy, a stark contrast to his experience in Singapore. This journey of discovery included studying Entrepreneurial Studies at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology and interning at a health-tech firm, Encare.

As a product management intern at Encare, Qihuang helped design a feature that enabled hospitals to benchmark surgical outcomes using metrics that were not only technically feasible but, more importantly, clinically meaningful. The experience proved transformative. “Technologists may spot inefficiencies, but clinicians understand the reasons behind them, which are often rooted in patient safety or care continuity. These experiences taught me to bridge both worlds, translating the nuanced needs of healthcare professionals and patients into the language of data analysts and engineers,” he said. 

Qihuang (first row, far right), seen here with his teammates from health-tech firm Encare in Sweden, where he spent time as a product management intern.

The pieces came together during an NOC module, when Qihuang revisited an NUS MedTech Society project with the Singapore Cancer Society — a chatbot to help cancer patients access critical information. The experience had also exposed him to the reality of patients struggling to have all their questions answered within limited consultation time. When he returned to Singapore, he decided to build on these inspirations and set up Hesyra in April 2024. The name Hesyra combines the “He–” syllable, symbolising health and healing, with the “–syr” syllable, which is a blend between a system and scribe – reflecting Qihuang’s vision of supporting clinicians with tools that allow them to truly hear and be present in the conversation with their patients.

While not a registered company yet, Hesyra’s first product — an ambient transcription tool that transcribes doctor-patient conversations and generates comprehensive notes — is being tested in private clinics ahead of its launch on 31 July 2025. The solution removes the need for notetaking, allowing doctors to give more time and attention to patients, maximising consultations for them.

“My supervisor in Sweden once told me that there are a thousand things I can do, but only a few that will move the needle. For me, moving the needle means combining clinical experience with an entrepreneurial mindset. I aim to start on the frontlines of pharmacy, understanding the challenges my colleagues and patients face, and use that first-hand experience to build technology that truly serves them,” said Qihuang.

Qihuang will be graduating today, 17 July 2025, with a Bachelor of Pharmacy with Honours (Highest Distinction). Even as he embarks on his pharmacy career in a public hospital after Commencement, he remains focused on his long-term vision of innovating within the healthcare space. He is dedicated to scaling Hesyra in his own time, transforming his frontline experience into practical, tech-enabled solutions that improve the lives of patients and the workflows of clinicians.

Source: NUS News