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A partnership between WelTel and African Medical Research Foundation (AMREF), with the support of Grand Challenges Canada, has secured a $2 million investment to improve HIV patient care and expand the mobile health (mHealth) program across rural Kenya.$1 million is coming from AMREF’s APHIAplus IMARISHA program; a five-year, USAID-funded project to transform the health status…Global Health” program. WelTel was able to demonstrate proof-of-concept and transformative potential, allowing them to move to the next phase, called “Phase II Transition to Scale”.The basis for the WelTel mHealth program came from a clinical study conducted by Dr. Richard Lester, scientific director of WelTel and faculty in the Department of Medicine at the…Nairobi, Dr. Lester found that a simple “how are you?” text, sent weekly to patients on anti-viral therapy for HIV allowed nurses to easily manage and follow up with a large number of patients. Patients in turn reported better support and were 12% more likely to stay on their drug therapy, which in turn led to a 9% increase in patients with full viral suppression.“This was one of the first trials that demonstrated improved HIV treatment behaviours”, says Dr. Lester. ”Given the number of people living with HIV/AIDS in Africa, almost 30 million, these small but significant changes can be amplified to massive impact if brought to scale”.

SOIL Haiti will build and install safe and hygienic toilet facilities for up to 6,000 people in Haiti’s vulnerable urban settlements, thanks to new funding from Grand Challenges Canada and partners.What makes SOIL innovative is the ecological way that it eliminates waste. SOIL collects and transports waste from its “EkoLakay” toilets to a local composting …

Issue High maternal mortality exists in low-income countries, resulting from delays in accessing appropriate healthcare due to financial barriers. The problem is particularly acute in the Philippines where the maternal mortality rate was higher in 2012 than in 2009. Solution The project aimed to design and develop health insurance products for low-income women in Marikina City, to enable them to access life-saving maternal healthcare services and reduce the risk of maternal death. Three health insurance products were initially…in two districts in Marikina City. Both products have a savings component and a waiting period of about six years before the funds can be accessed. Focus group discussions led to a recommendation that additional reproductive healthcare benefits be included in the package and that the premiums be paid in installments. Outcome The three health…

…and mortality in resource-poor settings. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes newborn thermal care as a critical and essential component of essential newborn care; however, hypothermia continues to remain under-documented, under-recognized and under-managed. Solution The BEMPU Hypothermia Bracelet monitors a newborn’s temperature continuously. If hypothermia develops, the device sounds an alarm, alerting the parent to…a specific temperature-monitoring, wearable, clinical prototype device. Data from this and other research, as well as the available clinical literature, were processed to create an accurate algorithm for early detection of mild hypothermia (also known as cold stress) with newborns. A safe, functional and appealing physical version of the prototype was created using hypoallergenic medical-grade…

…of MDR-TB cases in the Americas: almost 16% of TB patients have primary resistance and previously treated cases reach 23%. Poor housing conditions and overcrowded rooms contribute to the spread of TB, and environmental measures are key elements in TB control. Solution The objective of the project was to develop a novel UV light device for indoor use, powered by solar energy, which could purify air sustainably and be used in low-resource communities with high TB prevalence. The project developed a prototype UV…reflecting plate. Each UV LED gives a 400 nm light spectrum, in the range of medical UV lights. The plate was made of stainless steel, in concave design, to reduce the risk of non-intentional exposure. Microbiological testing for clearance was performed with certified Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra (ATCC® 25177 ™) strains (MTB strains). For each set…

Haiti lacks sufficient means to screen women of reproductive age for cervical cancer, the leading cause of female cancer-related death. It has also been shown that Haiti’s working-class, such as factory workers, have the least exposure to health programs and education. In this project, women factory workers will self-swab to test for Human papillomavirus (HPV) with treatment if needed …nurses in the factory infirmary. The model will allow women to receive cervical cancer screening and education directly where they work. The model fosters sustainability as the private sector supports disease screening for employees and training of nurses, and is expected to create broader demand for screening services. Other expected benefits include the ability to provide adequate patient education…

IssueObstetric hemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal death in low-resource settings. Postpartum hemorrhaging is preventable and treatable with appropriate medication and a clean blood supply. Unfortunately, health workers and patients in Malawi lack responsive systems to deliver the necessary medicines, supplies, and commodities. SolutionImplemented in Malawi, VillageReach sought to address the challenge of transporting, and storing, blood and other heat sensitive products like Oxytocin.The project developed an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to deliver blood and other medical commodities. The aim of the project was to redesign the medical supply system by improving efficiency and adaptability to acute health needs.They also conducted focus groups with key community and government stakeholders to determine the viability…

IssueNeonatal mortality rates in Peru have decreased dramatically in the last two decades. However, inequitable differences in neonatal mortality continue to persist between high and low-income communities. Neonatal Asphyxia is particularly troubling in Peru, accounting for more than 20% of neonatal deaths in the country. Though institutional deliveries have increased, management of newborns with asphyxia has been suboptimal due to a lack of…resuscitation. Solution The project aimed to analyze methods of training health workers in urban and rural areas to provide neonatal resuscitation. Through a cluster randomized trial, one group of health workers was provided with face-to-face theory and practice sessions, while the other group received a non-traditional training approach through distance education using information and communication…measuring the proportion of newborns with a heart rate of 100 beats per minute or higher at 2 minutes after birth. Outcome A preliminary analysis found no significant results between the performance of health workers in traditional and non-traditional groups. The group who received traditional training achieved almost 2% better results compared to the non-traditional…