NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

According to the World Health Organisation’s 2014 report, nearly 800 women die every day due to complications in pregnancy and childbirth.

Save the Children’s recent report on women’s maternal health pegs the number of women at a lifetime risk at a staggering one out of 170. India ranks an abysmal 140 on the index of 179 countries, an index researchers compiled using data from UN agencies to show where mothers and children fare best and where they face the greatest hardships.

However this situation is easily averted using the combined power of technology, innovation and healthcare to provide a solution for major problems in the world especially in the middle and lower income countries. CAMTech (Consortium For Affordable Medical Technologies) is using this combined power of technology and healthcare to bring together radically different professional and academic groups from around the world to focus on specific unmet clinical needs. Their mantra is to create an ecosystem of co-creation, improvisation and innovation, especially in the development of low-cost technologies that have the potential to solve some of the world’s most pressing health challenges.

CAMTech India

The mission of CAMTech India is to support the development and implementation of innovative solutions (technological, process and/or business model innovation) that can improve Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (RMNCH) in India. The aim is to address preventable causes of death among women and children in India. Their audience includes a diverse range of clinicians, entrepreneurs, engineers and business experts.

CAMTech mission for India is being driven through various programs, like the India Clinical Summit, a Medical Technology Hack-a-thon and the Innovation Awards.

The Clinical Summit aims to identify pressing clinical needs and best practices in RMNCH care. It brings together physicians, nurses, healthcare workers, government and public health experts across India . The aim is to drive affordable medical technology innovation, including a ‘Technology Showcase’ to preview early-stage and newly marketed technologies that have the potential to improve healthcare for women and children in India.

A Medical Technology ‘Hack-a-thon’ often follows the Clinical Summit. It is a 48-hour event, where cross-disciplinary teams collaborate to provide solutions for unsolved RMNCH clinical problems.