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Using Mobile Technology to Fight Disease: Three Tips for Social Startups in the Developing World
In a world where nearly half of the population is too poor to access essential health services, preventable diseases still claim countless lives. Malaria alone is responsible for over 1 million deaths each year, and sickle cell disease also affects millions across the globe. But these diseases can be significantly helped with early diagnosis and cost-effective treatments, says Hemex Health co-founder Patti White. She explores the innovative technology Hemex has developed to address this issue – and highlights three elements of its approach that can help other social enterprises gain traction in the crowded startup space.
- Categories
- Health Care, Social Enterprise
- Tags
- startups
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Press release: WHO launches first investment case to save up to 30 million lives
“As it embarks on its eighth decade, the World Health Organization is as essential and central as ever,” said Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda. “It has a unique role in developing new norms and standards, and sharing life-saving tools and technologies.”
- Categories
- Health Care, Investing
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How Bill Gates, a valley full of snakes and one entrepreneur took on a deadly disease
The vaccine has made waves as a case study for global health solutions created in and by developing countries, with help from a network of international powers. It’s also getting attention for its incredibly low price: just $1 a dose.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- South Asia
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Sisu Global Health raises $1.2 million, launches Hemafuse sales
Hemafuse is the first product to be launched from the company’s portfolio. With the device, Sisu is looking to address a 50 percent shortage of blood needed to perform surgery in Africa.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- startups, venture capital
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A C-Section Should Not Be a Privilege: Expanding Access to Life-Saving Maternal Care
For every 100,000 live births, 814 women die in Nigeria, 725 die in Liberia, and 443 die in Zimbabwe. (For comparison, the U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rates in the developed world at 26.4). One major reason is limited access to C-sections – a persistent problem in low-resource settings, where health systems often lack the people, supplies and infrastructure to perform the procedure safely. Erin Barringer and Erastus Maina at Safe Surgery 2020 discuss this challenge, and how their partnership is successfully addressing it in remote parts of Ethiopia and Tanzania.
- Categories
- Health Care
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How a shampoo bottle is saving young lives
Last year 920,000 children under the age of five died of pneumonia, making it the leading killer of people in that age group. This figure is falling (in 2011 it was 1.2m), but it still represents 16% of all infant deaths. Such deaths are not, however, evenly distributed. In Bangladesh pneumonia causes 28% of infant mortality.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- South Asia
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Oxfam appoints Sriskandarajah as chief executive
Oxfam GB has appointed Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah as its new chief executive, taking over from Mark Goldring “around the end of 2018”. Sriskandarajah is currently secretary general and chief executive of CIVICUS, the Johannesburg-based global alliance of civil society organisations and activists with members in more than 180 countries.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Symbiotic and Strategic: Why Businesses Should Embrace Nonprofit Partnerships
Imagine losing your sight. Now imagine losing your sight in one of the poorest regions in the world. With few quality eye doctors, hospitals or clinics, your chances of getting quality care would be small, and your opportunities to get an education or earn a steady income would slowly evaporate. Orbis CEO Bob Ranck explores how for-profit partners are helping his nonprofit tackle this issue - and why this sort of partnership makes good economic and business sense for both sides.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Tags
- nonprofits, partnerships
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