-
In the Philippines, Tablets, Smartphones Lift Market-Based Approaches to Universal Care
Like many industrialized countries, out-of-pocket spending by consumers on health care is often a big problem in the developing world. The national health insurance program in the Philipines, PhilHealth, is constantly innovating with new ways to improve insurance coverage and lower costs. How market-based approaches are playing a critical role.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
-
Telenor’s Easypaisa Penetrating Pakistan’s Poor, Unbanked Populations
Since Pakistan mobile operator Telenor launched Easypaisa in October 2009, it’s seen rapid adoption. In March 2011, 1.3 million customers processed 1.9 million Easypaisa transactions and $39.2 million in transaction flows. Easypaisa has conducted more transactions in its first 18 months than any mobile money deployment except M-PESA.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Technology
-
A Kenyan Pedal Power Solution for Charging Mobile Phones
In rural Kenya, electricity sockets are hard to find but pedal power is everywhere, which is why inventor Pascal Katana has come up with an ingenious method to charge mobile phones using the energy generated by bicycles.
- Categories
- Environment, Technology
-
Public-Private Engagement for Better Health in Africa
While assessing the good, the bad, and the innovative, new report by the World Bank Group finds that public-private engagement is less than systematic. The Healthy Partnerships report evaluates engagement with private providers in 45 African countries. Lead author Connor Spreng, an economist at the World Bank, on the findings.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
- Tags
- governance
-
MOTECH’s Mobile Apps Bridging Rural Gap for Pregnant Women
Started in 2009, MOTECH is a mobile health platform that offers two main applications: mobile midwives and nurse services. Pregnant women and their families register for the cell service through community health centers. MOTECH boosts efficiency for nurses, to be sure. But it also gets low-income patients to think consciously about their health.
- Categories
- Technology
-
New Techniques, Technology Helping Operation ASHA to Expand
Operation ASHA is a community-based program founded in the Delhi slums to fight the spread of antibiotic resistant TB strains by incentivizing counselors to closely monitor progress of patients and ensure they finish courses of DOTS. They have been growing at a dizzying pace with plans to expand to Cambodia, Morocco, Ghana, and Kenya.
- Categories
- Health Care, Impact Assessment, Technology
-
Indian Mobile Initiative Sweeps MIT?s Service Challenge
Thirteen other teams snagged implementation awards to partner with communities on innovative projects overcoming gaps in water/sanitation, agriculture and medical accessibility as part of this year?s MIT IDEAS Competition and the newly launched Global Challenge. This year 45 teams in all competed for $150,000 in awards to fight global challenges.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
-
ViewChange Video of the Week: World Water Day and Drip Technology
Water issues are top of mind today, which is World Water Day. Modern agriculture tends to focus on helping farmers with large fields (and more money to spend). But an innovative, inexpensive drip irrigation systems, developed with investment from the Acumen Fund, are helping smallholder farmers in India dramatically increase crop yields.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology