Weekly News Roundup
News, Events and Observations about Health Markets in the Developing World
Hello everyone! Here is the top global health innovation news from the past week.
World Water Day
Last Thursday was World Water Day so the internet was buzzing with facts and ideas about the global poor’s access to clean water. In honor of World Water Day, we wanted to highlight a couple of programs from the CHMI Database that incorporate water into their models in interesting ways:
- E Health Point makes healthcare more accessible and incorporates into people’s daily routine in India by also acting a source for clean drinking water. Water and healthcare – it’s a one stop shop!
- The Safe Water and AIDS Project (SWAP) in Kenya provides women with HIV/AIDS with a range of services, including helping them to become “Avon Ladies” of health, selling WaterGuard purifiers, among other items.
- In 2008, PSI/Somaliland began using social marketing to distribute a low-cost water purification tablet to ensure access to safe drinking water in Somalia. Communication materials were also developed to ensure awareness and proper use.
Program News
DKT International has released their reported impact for 2011 (both global and country specific numbers). They report having averted over 2,250,000 unsafe abortions and close to 12,000 maternal deaths worldwide! Click here to learn more about their impact.
Innovations for Health: Solutions That Cross Borders, sponsored by Ashoka Changemakers and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, just released their list of finalists, which includes several CHMI-profiled programs: ASRI Clinic (Health in Harmony) in Indonesia, E Health Point in India, Saúde Criança in Brazil and VaxTrac in Benin. Congratulations to the finalists!
Other News
Vietnam is going to provide the poor with free health insurance cards and pay only 5% of medical examination and treatment fees. The “near-poor” will be able to purchase these cards and receive a 75% discount on treatment. Learn more here.
CNN recently aired a special called Global Lessons: The GPS Road Map for Saving Health Care in which Fareed Zakaria looked around the world for insights into how to raise the quality and lower the cost of health care in the US. Did you miss it? Read the transcript here!
Opportunities
The International Partnership for Innovative Healthcare Delivery (IPIHD) is still accepting applications for innovators to join their network. They offer a unique opportunity to access smart financial capital for growth investment, attract and grow talent in your organization, and improve processes within the organization while achieving scale! More information here.
Vodafone is accepting nominations for their 2012 Mobiles for Good program, which aims to honor and recognize innovation from non-governmental organizations / non-profits that use mobile phones for community empowerment and inclusive growth for development. Think you’re a good candidate? Apply here!