Medikidz Ltd

Millions of children worldwide are diagnosed every day with conditions that even their parents may find difficult to comprehend. Most children don’t understand their medical conditions, associated investigations, procedures and treatments, and are often scared by what is going on around them. In the past, it was a commonly-held view that children were too young to understand medical concepts, or worse, were better off not knowing. Even now, doctors often do not have the time or skills to explain medical issues, so that children and their families can understand them. There are over fifty million children in six main English-speaking countries that are currently afflicted with illness and are without proper educational resources.  To date, no effective solution exists to this overwhelming global problem. There is a definite, substantial and unsatisfied need for information. Medikidz aims to fill this void in understanding, and ease the explanation process.

The ‘Medikidz’ are a gang of five larger-than-life superheroes from outer space, who each specialise in a different part of the body.  The characters are designed to be fun and appealing to children in order to be able to entertain, as well as to educate them about serious medical issues.  The Medikidz characters live on ‘Mediland’ – a living, moving planet shaped just like the human body.  The children are taught about their own body by going on a personal tour through Mediland accompanied by our dynamic superheroes.

Medikidz is designed specifically for children, speaking their language, at their level, via comic books, games and an online virtual world.

The Medikidz initiative offers:

A.     Graphic novels – a comprehensive series, with each book explaining the medical basis of an individual disease.

B.     Medicine Information Pamphlets – providing detailed, child-focused information explaining specific medicines & why they should be taken.

C.     Investigation/procedure brochures – covering topics facing children in hospital, including common investigations and procedures.

D.     Interactive website – online virtual edu-tainment environment (Mediland) which allows children to create their own unique avatar, explore a 3D ‘human body’ virtual world and access the Med-to-Z - an online medical encyclopedia of animated comics, video clips and cartoons.

E.     Social Network – the first of its kind in the world, facilitating the connection of children worldwide with similar conditions, in order for them to share information, form online communities and offer peer support in a safe and constantly monitored environment.

F.     Online games – included in the totally immersive 3D virtual world of Mediland to educate and entertain.

Medikidz Limited was founded in New Zealand in 2006 and incorporated as a UK company in May 2008. 

Credibility is the cornerstone to the Medikidz offering - doctors will write all content with it subsequently peer-reviewed by leading consultants in each respective field.  Medikidz will also seek the endorsement of established and well-regarded medical institutions, foundations and spokespeople.

Dr Kim Chilman-Blair is the company founder.  She trained originally as a doctor, worked for some time in Paediatric Orthopaedic surgery, and has worked for over eight years as an academic medical writer for Adis International (NZ) and Prous Science (Barcelona, Spain). 

Dr Kate Hersov is the co-founder of Medikidz. She qualified as a doctor in 2004, working in the specialties of Paediatrics, Emergency Medicine and Oncology. She also worked as a Medical Research Fellow (Medical Research Institute of NZ) authoring a number of published journal articles.