BENGALURU: To address the lack of coordinated diabetic foot care in the healthcare system, a Bengaluru-based platform, FootSecure, has developed an integrated model that brings diagnostics, treatment, and preventive services under one roof, to reduce the high number of diabetes-related amputations in the country, over 1.4 million annually, many of which are considered medically avoidable.
Unlike most hospitals, where diabetic foot care is absent or spread across departments, requiring patients to visit different specialists for scans, consultations, dressings, and footwear, FootSecure offers a single-window system specifically for foot complications. The model combines digital assessment tools, wound care, minor surgical procedures, custom footwear production, and remote follow-up through a centralised platform.
The platform was started in 2019 by Dr Sanjay Sharma, a Chief Foot Surgeon, who realised the overwhelming shortage of experts in the podiatric field and decided to bring everything related to diabetic foot, among other orthopaedic conditions, under a roof. “At the clinic level, patients are first screened using AI-assisted foot scanners that detect high-risk pressure points, even before external wounds or ulcers are visible. These are followed by gait and weight distribution analyses, which help identify how a patient’s posture and walking pattern may contribute to injury risk. Based on this, the centre either initiates preventive care or moves the patient into wound management,” Dr Sharma explained.
In cases with existing wounds or infections, the platform offers minimally invasive surgeries and regular dressing schedules within the same facility. Two digital tools — Foot360 (analysis of foot structure) and Wound360 (for wound management) — are used to document the case, monitor healing, and coordinate treatment across visits. This system is designed to reduce delays caused by repeated referrals, and to maintain continuity of care — a common gap in diabetic wound management, he added.
Dr Sharma highlighted that a major part of FootSecure’s offering is its in-house diabetic footwear service. “Patients who need pressure relief are fitted with custom shoes or insoles designed based on their scan and gait data. This is key to preventing recurrence of wounds, which are often caused by poorly fitting shoes or unaddressed pressure points,” he added.
While the platform is not positioned as a replacement for hospital-based care, it aims to fill a gap by offering early-stage intervention, particularly for patients at risk of losing mobility or limbs due to delayed treatment. The startup will be demonstrating its technology at the IIM Bangalore Alumni Association (IIMBAA) Leadership Conclave on August 2–3.