Weekly News Roundup
News, Events and Observations about Health Markets in the Developing World
Program News
Congratulations to Sproxil for receiving this year’s World Business and Development Award (WBDA) at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. Sproxil protects consumers against fake medications by allowing them to verify the authenticity of products by using a mobile phone and a simple, free text message. Read more about it here.
Jacaranda Health team has opened its first maternity hospital in Nairobi! Jacaranda operates high-quality maternity care mobile clinics in several neighborhoods of Nairobi, Kenya. To learn more, click here.
GVK EMRI (Emergency Management and Research Institute) was recently featured in a New York Times article. GVK EMRI handles medical, police and fire emergencies in India through the “1-0-8 Emergency Service," which is a free service delivered through emergency call response centers. They are able to dispatch over 2600 ambulances accompanied by trained EMTs (Emergency Medical Technicians) in cities across India.
General News
A new comparative study analyzing the performance of private and public health care delivery systems in low- and middle-income countries has been published in the journal, PLoS Medicine. Researchers reviewed data on public and private sector performance in low- and middle-income countries and assessed them against the World Health Organization’s six essential themes of health systems. The researchers concluded that the studies in this systematic review do not support the claim that the private sector is usually more efficient, accountable, or medically effective than the public sector; however, the public sector appears frequently to lack timeliness and hospitality towards patients. To read the study, click here.
Social Earth recently published an article about Joynal Abedin, a poor Bangladeshi rickshaw puller, who used his social entrepreneurship spirit to start a clinic for the poor. Even with the meager salary from pulling rickshaws, Abedin saved enough money to build and open a small clinic called Mumtaz Hospital. News spread of his entrepreneurial ambitions, and as financial donations flowed in, the capacity of the health center grew to treat 100 patients daily. He was also able to set up a maternity ward and pharmacy distributing free medicines to patients. Read more about his inspiring story here.
Opportunities and Events
Village Capital/Growth Africa: Nairobi is looking for top innovators in Kenya who are using their ideas to directly address poverty and environmental sustainability. They must be working with one of the following categories: (a) mobile/information technology addressing societal issues; (b) energy/environmental sustainability; (c) affordable basic services for the poor (e.g. health, education, water and sanitation). The program begins in August and will run for 20 weeks. It consists of six 3-day workshops providing mentorship and addressing key aspects to strengthen the start-ups. At the end of the program, two enterprises will be selected by their peers to each receive a $50,000 investment from Village Capital. Click here to apply! The deadline for applications is June 30, 2012.
SHOPS (Strengthening Health Outcomes through the Private Sector) will host a satellite session titled, “We’re in it Together,” at the upcoming international AIDS conference. It will feature private sector specialists from four African countries who will discuss their experiences with engaging the private sector in their countries’ national HIV programs. The session will be held on July 25, 2012 from 6:30-8:30 pm EST in Mini-Room 3 at the Washington Convention Center.
The ILO Microinsurance Innovation Facility, an organization under the International Labour Organization (ILO) and one of the financers of the Microinsurance Network, is putting on an interactive webinar to promote the Microinsurance Compendium Vol II, a publication that covers the major trends of the microinsurance sector. The webinar will include a presentation on microinsurance trends, a short presentation from guest authors and experts on the microinsurance sector, and a Q&A session for online participants. The event is Tuesday, July 3rd, from 4:00pm-6:30pm EST and you can learn more about the event here and register for free here. Register as soon as possible to guarantee your participation!
The 2012 mHealth Summit, the premier international forum for connecting the mobile health ecosystem to mHealth research, education, and thought leadership has issued a call for presentations for their December 3-5 event. The summit will feature its first ever Global Health track, which will showcase applications for mHealth topics in the global health field. Learn more and share your experience and expertise by submitting your proposal here and registering here. The submission deadline for presentations is June 29th at 12pm so make sure to submit your proposal soon!