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Journalism of Courage
On World Pharmacists Day comes the story of a young Indian innovator, Tunir Sahoo, whose journey from pharmacy to entrepreneurship has placed him on the global stage. His defining moment came not in a lab, but in a small rural clinic in Bihar, where he watched a father helplessly cradle his breathless son. The doctor suspected pneumonia but had no way to confirm it. The nearest facility with diagnostic equipment was hours away, far beyond the family’s means. That image of helplessness became the spark for JivaScope.
JivaScope is a pocket-sized, AI-powered device that enables anyone to self-screen for heart and lung diseases in minutes— bringing clinical-grade diagnostics to rural and low-resource settings.
The foundation for this innovation was laid much earlier. Unlike many of his peers who chose engineering, he pursued a Bachelor of Pharmacy at Dr BC Roy College of Pharmacy in Durgapur, West Bengal. For him, pharmacy was not just about learning medicines, but about understanding the human body and its vulnerabilities—knowledge that would later shape JivaScope’s design.
For him, pharmacy was not just about medicines, but about understanding the human body and the gaps in rural healthcare systems.
Yet, as he advanced in his studies, he realised something vital: science alone was not enough, and business thinking was needed to scale solutions. “I saw brilliant research projects fail because they lacked a business model, funding, or execution,” he recalled.
That realisation took him to IIM Kashipur, where he found the ecosystem to merge technical depth with strategic breadth. The incubation centre, faculty mentors, and peers played a critical role in helping him refine the prototype and shape JivaScope into a viable startup.
This wasn’t his first brush with problem-solving. At 15, he was selected under the Catch Them Young programme for developing a crop-protection solution that helped farmers safeguard their fields. At 22, he won Reliance TUP 9.0, India’s largest MBA pitching contest. But winning the James Dyson Award for JivaScope has been his most defining recognition yet.
For him, winning the award was more than recognition. “It validates the problem we’re solving,” he said. “It shows that rural healthcare challenges resonate not just in India but across the world.” The award brought global visibility, mentorship, and opportunities to scale JivaScope. Now, as he prepares to represent India in the international round, his focus remains clear—making the prototype robust, validating it in rural field conditions, and ensuring the solution can one day reach underserved communities across the globe.
From a boy in Kharagpur curious about medicines, to a pharmacy graduate, to an MBA innovator, his journey has been about bridging two worlds—science and strategy—to create real-world impact. JivaScope is only the beginning. For him, innovation has never been about chance. It has always been about purpose. Building tools that bring healthcare closer to those who need it most.
As the world marks Pharmacists Day, his journey is a reminder that pharmacy is not limited to dispensing medicines—it can also inspire innovations that bridge science, technology, and society. From a pharmacy student in Durgapur to an MBA innovator in Kashipur, Uttarakhand, he has proved that the discipline’s true power lies in improving lives.
