Unfortunately, we still
face a world full of challenges in regards to healthcare. There are several
countries where huge populations suffer from little-to-no infrastructure
leading to tortured access to care and poor delivery. However, one can see many
technology endeavours attempting to narrow the inequality between developed and
developing countries.
According to the Smithsonian Magazine, researchers at Columbia University have developed a chip that can analyze a
drop of blood from a finger prick and when plugged into a smartphone test for
HIV and syphilis in 15 minutes. The research team believe that this technology
could be manufactured for at least $34. The smartphone accessory is small
enough to fit in one’s hand and easily powered. This is especially suitable for
places like Rwanda, where they already conducted a trial to test for HIV.
Jana Care, based in Newton - MA, in partnership
with Continuum, an innovation and design consultancy company, developed another
great example of technology trying to narrow the existing healthcare difference
around the globe. It’s called Aina: a glucometer, that plugs into the headphone
jack of a smartphone and checks blood glucose levels. It was initially
developed for a certain socioeconomic lifestyle in India. However, since
diabetes is a growing epidemic in emerging countries, the technology could be
used in other parts of the world. Diabetes is an expensive and difficult
disease to manage. So Jana Care “has created a program by which it offers
disease management skills to patients through an interactive reality TV show,
mobile app for diet and exercise tracking and support from diabetes educators.”
It’s exciting to see
simple solutions tackling big global healthcare problems.
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