Engaging audiences by inviting them to think like health innovators, the session of Health Innovations: From Motorcycle Pharmacies to Open Source Medical Software was filled with lively discussions.
The session was hosted by the Development Policy Forum of the Germany Society for International Cooperation. The panelists were consultant on global health Solveig Haupt and Alvin Marcelo, the Senior Vice-President and Chief Information Officer of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation. Although the communication with Marcelo was held through Skype, the session managed to run smoothly.
Freelance journalist and PR consultant Eva-Maria Verfuerth moderated the workshop, and she began by reinforcing the idea that health is both a human right and a prerequisite for economic growth. She asserted that the European model of delivering health services could not be implemented in developing countries whose infrastructures are inadequate. Creative solutions are needed to reach people in marginalised areas.
Lack of market data
The creative solutions vary, from free and open source software (FOSS) to using motorcycles to deliver medicines.
“Developing countries are constantly challenged by the lack of market data, physical and health infrastructures and access to financial services, among others, in providing health services,” said Verfuerth.
“To tackle these challenges, there should be synergies between public sector, private sector, international organisations, bilateral donors, private foundations, microfinance institutions and micro insurers, NGOs and academia,” she explained. Healthcase innovation requires significant cooperation from many parties.
During the session the innovations were showcased through the game ‘Who Wants to Be a Health Innovator?’ There were questions based on real-life cases and participants were asked to analyse which actions had been implemented by the initiatives, such as Riders for Health, Village Reach and Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, promoting animated discussions.
The projects themselves have proved successful both by social and financial measures. Pharmaceutical firm Sanofi helps co-finance projects in Africa with innovative business models and measurable impacts. Village Reach’s business model, for example, was able to reduce monthly stock out of vaccines from 80 percent to 1 percent in Mozambique from 2002 to 2007. Marcelo explained that in the Philippines, FOSS had been used to help proliferate healthcare.
As economic growth is desirable and good health is a prerequisite, innovative solutions to health care are proving to be worth their while.
By Nadya Priscilya Hutajulu, Indonesia
Photo by Michele Lapini, Italy
