According to Silicon Republic, paramedic Declan Watters from Letterkenny has launched an AI-powered medication tracker app called MediSnap. The app, which went live in a Beta version at the end of October, lets users scan medication packets to instantly get critical drug warnings and interaction alerts. Watters built it using optical character recognition and a proprietary AI tool trained on his own constantly updated database. The response has been global, with website hits from the US, Europe, and South Africa, despite spending only €15 on Facebook ads for marketing so far. He’s currently seeking investment to hire programmers and gain regulatory approval from bodies like the HPRA, with the ultimate goal of bringing it to health services like the HSE and NHS.
Solving a Real 3am Problem
Here’s the thing about good tech ideas: they often come from sheer frustration. Watters describes that classic, stressful scene—a 3am emergency call, a sick patient, and a big bag of assorted tablets. As a paramedic, you need to make fast, safe decisions, and that bag is a dangerous mystery. So he built the tool he needed. It’s a perfect example of a user becoming the developer because no one else had solved his very real, very critical problem. And his background is key here. He’s not just a paramedic; he’s got a computer science degree and spent over 20 years working in pharmacy logistics. That combo of frontline medical need, pharma knowledge, and tech skill is pretty rare. It’s why his solution probably hits the mark where a pure software team might miss it.
More Than Just Paramedics
While the spark came from emergency medicine, Watters is smart to see the bigger picture. The stress of managing a complex medication list? That’s a daily reality for millions of family carers, occupational therapists, and healthcare assistants. These people are often incredibly organized, keeping detailed lists. MediSnap could automate that, creating a saved, up-to-date PDF list just by scanning packets. That’s a huge time-saver and a potential safety net. But this leads to the big, obvious question: what about data privacy? Watters addresses this directly, stating the data stays on the user’s phone and he has no access to patient information. That’s a crucial design choice for trust, especially before regulatory approval. It shows he’s thinking about the ethical side, not just the tech.
The Long Road From Beta to Bedside
Now, let’s be clear about where this stands. The app’s disclaimer says it’s for educational purposes only and isn’t medical advice. That’s because it lacks approval from the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA). Getting that approval is his “main goal.” And that’s the real mountain to climb. Health tech regulation is slow, expensive, and rigorous for very good reason—lives are on the line. His confidence is great, but the path from a clever, well-received beta app to a certified clinical tool used by the NHS is massive. It requires flawless accuracy, robust cybersecurity, and rigorous validation. The €15 marketing success story is fantastic, but the real investment needed now is for navigating this regulatory maze. That’s where the funding and serious development work comes in.
A One-Man Band With Global Potential
So, what’s the takeaway? This story is compelling because it feels authentic. A full-time paramedic and dad of two is somehow coding at night to add a dropdown menu based on user feedback. He’s blown away that his little app is getting global hits. There’s a genuine “I built this for me and my colleagues” vibe that’s hard to fake. And his point about not competing with anyone else is interesting. Is that because he’s in a blue ocean, or because the established players have found this space too hard to crack? Probably a bit of both. The potential is crazy, as he says. But the next phase is where passion meets process. Can he scale the development, secure the approvals, and build the infrastructure? If he can, MediSnap might just become one of those rare tools that changes a simple, everyday task for millions in healthcare.
