What We Are Doing

We are building a healthcare ecosystem which integrates digital and physical services to offer high quality, affordable care for African families.
We are designing every step of this journey around what families want and need.
All of the healthcare services will be built on the scaffolding of a secure, legal, digital backbone. Families will move seamlessly between the online and physical world services throughout the entire continuum of care from pregnancy, delivery and postnatal care.

Revolutionizing Maternal and Newborn Healthcare in Africa

We have a unique opportunity to rethink healthcare in Africa, particularly for mothers and newborns. Here's why:

1 - Unmet Demand: Over half the world's babies will soon be born in Africa, yet healthcare services are inadequate.

2 - Digital Health Advances: New technologies are transforming healthcare, making it more efficient and effective.

Current healthcare systems often prioritize professionals' convenience over families' needs, are costly, and operate inefficiently. Instead of trying to fix these broken systems, we aim to start fresh and design a system that puts families first.

Our Approach:

We believe the best healthcare system should be judged by families who choose it for its quality and affordability. Here's how we plan to achieve this:

1 - Listen to Families: Understand what they need and build services around their priorities.

2 - Use Technology Wisely: A secure, reliable digital foundation will connect various services, supported by AI for clinical care, logistics, and training.

3 - Invest in Data: High-quality data will enable continuous learning and improvement.

4 - Affordable, Outcome-Based Care: Families will pay a single fee for care from pregnancy until six weeks after birth, covering all eventualities. This allows investment in primary and preventative services which are much more cost efficient.

5 - Community-Based Clinics: Care will be led by midwives in neighborhood clinics, supported by telemedicine and periodic visits from specialists.

6 - Centralized Deliveries: A referral hospital will handle all deliveries, with separate units for low- and high-risk births.

7 - Staff Growth: Training programs will prepare staff for specific roles while encouraging career development.

8 - Team Empowerment: Teams will have the autonomy to innovate and improve care.

9 - Scalable Design: A single referral hospital and 10–20 clinics will serve 300,000–500,000 people, with plans to replicate this model across the continent.

10 - Financial Accessibility: We'll explore microfinance, employer contributions, insurance, and other options to make our services affordable.

Trajectory

Current Goals

1. Enhance Digital Presence:
- Build and improve the website to ensure accessibility and user engagement.

2. Legal and Data Compliance:
- Learn about Zimbabwean and international data laws to design a safe, legally compliant app and database.

3. Key Questions to Address:
- What do families want, need, and prioritize?
- What can we learn from global best practices to design the best maternal and neonatal healthcare system for Africa?
- How do we build and maintain the optimum teams?

4. Support Resources:
- Develop and distribute resources to assist clinicians and families in improving the discharge process for neonatal care.

Short-Term Objectives (0-6 months)

1. Develop a Family-Centered App:
- Create an app to securely contain baby-specific data, guiding parents through the discharge and post-discharge period.
- Include telemedicine support for families at home and connections to follow-up teams.
- Integrate with a developmental and intervention app developed by colleagues.

2. Build a Neonatal EHR:
- Develop a basic Electronic Health Record (EHR) system linked to a secure database for inpatient neonates.

Near Horizon Goals (6-24 months)

1. Expand Digital Integration:
- Extend the app’s functionality to link with the EHR, covering maternal and postnatal care.

2. Establish a Primary-Level Clinic:
- Open a neighborhood clinic to provide antenatal and postnatal care.
- Integrate this clinic with an existing birthing hospital for deliveries.

Medium-Term Goals (2-6 years)

1. Launch the First Pilot Module:
- Establish a complete system comprising:
           -10 Neighborhood Clinics: Providing antenatal and postnatal care.
           - 1 Central Referral Hospital: Serving as the hub for deliveries and advanced care.
- Develop bespoke digital infrastructure, including:
            -Electronic Health Records (EHR).
            -Secure patient portal.
            -Centralized secure database.
            -Telemedicine capabilities.

Long-Term Vision (6-10 years)

1. Expand and Iterate:
- Sequentially open more clinic-hospital modules, refining and improving designs based on feedback and performance.

2. Advance AI Integration:
- Develop AI-powered tools for:
            -Clinical decision support.
            -Administration and logistics.
            -Staff training and mentorship.
            -Financial management and planning.

3. Foster a Collaborative Ecosystem:
- Integrate external providers to operate specialized niches within the broader healthcare ecosystem.

Summary

This phased trajectory lays the foundation for a world-class maternal and neonatal healthcare system in Africa. By starting with digital innovations and building scalable modules, the system will evolve iteratively, incorporating global best practices and cutting-edge technology to ensure sustainability, efficiency, and family-centered care.

Contact

Team