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A four-year local innovation project yielding an array of promising medical devices to improve mother, newborn and child health in Kenya
A joint initiative to fund and support the ‘Maker Innovation’ project in Kenya – a ‘change the system from within’ solution to achieving better mother, newborn and child health in low-resource environments. The project, supported by Philips prototyping and manufacturing expertise, aims to offer much greater long-term benefits than one-off initiatives or imported healthcare solutions.
A four-year local innovation project yielding an array of promising medical devices to improve mother, newborn and child health in Kenya. Combining the imagination and creativity of undergraduate students at the University of Nairobi, the real-world experience of doctors and nurses at Kenyatta National Hospital, and innovation and entrepreneurship coaching provided free-of-charge by Philips.
In addition to direct funding from Philips Foundation and UNICEF, and the coaching provided by Philips, development of these prototypes was facilitated by the existence of two prototyping labs at Nairobi University – an engineering-oriented MIT Fab Lab that enables students to access an array of CNC (Computer Numerical Control) rapid prototyping equipment, and the Nairobi Maker Space, which brings together students, doctors and nurses to share and critique ideas. Locally based multidisciplinary teams are then assembled to put the most promising ideas into action.
The project, supported by Philips prototyping and manufacturing expertise, offered much greater long-term benefits than one-off initiatives or imported healthcare solutions.
The Maker project has already resulted in the development of 19 medical device prototypes. Seven of these have been judged suitable for further development, with two of them already being tested in clinical trials and evaluated by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS). Notable examples include a suction machine for clearing the airways of newborn babies and a delivery cushion that supports traditional Kenyan birthing positions.
The lessons learned in the four-year Maker Innovation project will help Philips Foundation and its strategic partners to further explore new ways of using health technology to strengthen and innovate elements of the health delivery system and the wider healthcare ecosystem in underserved communities across the globe. Despite tremendous progress, there is still a substantial unfulfilled need for high-quality healthcare that is affordable, equitable and efficiently managed. A next step would be to focus on commercializing solutions, by developing appropriate business plans and establishing manufacturing and service facilities to enable their widespread deployment.
When 2015 - 2019
Status Concluded
Where
Kenya
Topics
Tags
Resources
[1] UN: Millenium Development Goals Report. New York: United Nations 2013. [2] UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation. Levels and trends in child mortality: report 2014. New York: United Nations 2014. [3] WHO Regional Office of Europe. Making Pregnancy Safer: Assessment Tool
for the Quality of Hospital Care for Mothers and Newborn Babies. Copenhagen,
Denmark, 2009.
Relevant links
Media Press Release: Philips Foundation, Philips and UNICEF highlight locally enabled innovation in Kenya’s mother and child care at UNGA 75 Interview: Providing valuable training for Kenyan ‘Maker Space’ entrepreneurs Interview: Empowering students to address local challenges in healthcare Interview: Making societal impact on people through meaningful innovation Partner websites
