Welink
lack of availability of laboratory services at health centers such as full blood count, blood and urine culture,Hepatitis virus, Thyroid testing hinders the antenatal care program.
Transferring pregnant women for laboratory services at referral hospital cost them money and time which lead to loss of interest in completing antenatal visit and so many missed diagnosis.
Although 99% of Rwandan mothers received antenatal care, only 44% of women who had a live birth in 5 years met the standard of at least 4 antenatal care visits.
Welink is an innovative approach to improve access to quality maternal and newborn laboratory services at health centers by providing a smart and quality transport of samples collected at health centers and taken to nearest health facility with adapted laboratory infrastructures, interpreted by qualified personnel and results shared electronically.
Welink also provide an offline prerecorded learning system to healthcare providers in rural areas with limitedinternet.
Welink aims at decentralizing maternal and child health laboratories services at health centers by providing smart and quality transport of samples collected at healthcenters to be analyzed and interpreted to the nearest health facility with adapted laboratory infrastructures, qualified personnel and results shared electronically.Although the Government of Rwanda made progress at health indicators, figures for maternal and neonatal mortality remain quite high;Most deaths of under-5s occur in the neonatal period and more than 65% of deaths in the first year of life. 41% of neonatal deaths are caused by preterm birth complications,94% of the neonatal deaths occur within first week oflife. 62% percent are deaths at birth.
Antenatalcare is an opportunity to identify and prevent many complications in pregnancy, childbirth an postpartumperiod.lack of qualified personnel laboratory services at healthcenters such as full blood count, blood and urine culture, Hepatitis virus, Thyroid hinders the antenatal care program. Transferring pregnant women for laboratory services at referral hospital cost them money and time which lead to loss of interest in completing antenatal visit and so many missed diagnosis.Although 99% of Rwandan mothers received antenatalcare,only 44% of women who had a livebirth in 5 years met the standard of at least 4 antenatalcare visits .
Welink is an innovative approach to improve access to quality maternal and newborn laboratory services at health centers by providing a smart and quality transport of samples collected at health centers and taken to
nearest healthfacility with adapted laboratory infrastructures, interpreted by qualified personnel and electronic results shared through SMS and online platform thereby improving the health outcomes at health centers.
Welink is comprised of 3products:
- Welinkonline platform: itwill be used to register all women undergoing antenatal care at healthcenter and given aunique identifier for electronic medical record and tracking of the client. All laboratory investigation requested will be registered on the unique identifier and collected at health center and transferred to the referral hospital for better analysis. Clients will receive the interpreted results electronically through sms or online. Welink system will also provide reminders to pregnant women to go for antenatal care as planned.
- Motorbike with fridge containers (the fridge are powered by solar energy)
This motorbike will be used for transportation of sample collected at healthcenters after registering in the system .
- Offline prerecorded learning system for health workers in remote areas with limited knowledge:(corecompetencies:postpartum hemorrhage, pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, recommended antenatal labs at Healthcenters)
Welink will be tested in 2most rural and furthest districts of Rwanda,With poor access to maternal and newborn care services mainly due to poor health facilityinfrastructure including laboratory services at their healthcenters. We target all pregnant women undergoing antenatal care in healthcenters of those districts.We use 3main indicators to monitor impacts in the selected healthcenters:
1.Antenatalcare discontinuation rate:Welink track on weekly basis the antenatal visit underwent by women registered on our system. Whoever missed ANC visit as scheduled our system inform the nearest healthworker in charge of maternal health
2.Laboratory services consumption at healthcenters: Welink system we will collect data on available and non-available laboratory services at health centers. Welink also collect data on sample collected at health centers, transported with welink to the nearest referral for analysis and report.
3.Reduced Economic burden: welink reduce the financial burden of pregnant women who are often referred to hospital from healthcenters only to complete laboratory investigation not available at health centers. The burden is associated with money paid for their own transport,feeding and off day for work. For every sample collected and transport through welink we will evaluate all cost implications and compare with money saved from transferring pregnant women for laboratory investigation.
- Expand access to high-quality, affordable care for women, new mothers, and newborns
Welink aims at decentralizing maternal and child health laboratoriesservices at healthcenters by providing smart transport of samples collected at healthcenters ,analyzed at nearest healthfacility with adapted laboratoryinfrastructures, qualifiedpersonnel and results shared electronically.Antenatalcare is an opportunity to identify and prevent complications in pregnancy, childbirth and postpartumperiod. lack of antenatal laboratoryservices at healthcenters hinders the ANC program.Transferring pregnant women for laboratoryservices cost them money andtime which lead to loss of interest in completing antenatalvisit and so many missed diagnosis. Decentralization of maternalandnewborn laboratoriesservices improves service delivery and diagnostic at healthcenters,it reduces antenatalcare discontinuation associated with economic burden of transferring pregnantwomen for laboratoryinvestigations.
- Concept: An idea being explored for its feasibility to build a product, service, or business model based on that idea
- A new business model or process
Welink is an innovative approach to improve access to quality maternal and newborn laboratory services at health centers by providing a smart and quality transport of samples collected at health centers and taken to
nearest health facility with adapted laboratory infrastructures, interpreted by qualified personnel and electronic results shared through SMS and an online platform thereby improving the health outcomes at health centers.
We link also provide an offline prerecorded learning system (core competencies: main causes of maternal deaths such as post-partum hemorrhage, pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, and mainly laboratory investigations recommended in antennal care at Health centers) to health workers in remote areas with insufficiently qualified personnel.
In Rwanda we have so many online consultation company such as babylon health but we are the first digital company which will work as a mobile laboratory . where we find people in the communities we collected sample and shared with them the results online. we are bringing the healthcare including laborotary exams near the people. Decentralization of Healthcare
Welink is comprised of 3 products:
- Welinkonline platform: it will be used to register all women undergoing antenatal care at healthcenter and given a unique identifier for electronic medical record and tracking of the client. All laboratory investigation requested will be registered on the unique identifier and collected at health center and transferred to the referral hospital for better analysis. Clients will receive the interpreted results electronically through sms or online. Welink system will also provide reminders to pregnant women to go for antenatal care as planned.
- Motorbike with fridge containers (the fridge are powered by solar energy) This motorbike will be used for transportation of sample collected at health centers after registering in the system .
- Offline prerecorded learning system for health workers in remote areas with limited knowledge:(core competencies: postpartum hemorrhage, pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, recommended antenatal labs at Health centers)
My Solution is still an idea which can turn into reality, Despite the Rwanda Government to promote digital health, it is still hard hard to provide primary healthcare for people in remote areas mainly due to lack medical laboratory infrastructure.
Welink will play a big role as bring closer to the remote areas the mobile laboratories and similar initiatiaves worked in South African very remote areas.
With the availability of internet countrywide and motorbike samples will be collected from far remote areas and interpreted in the nearest Available adapted medical laboratories without the need to move the clients. it will promote the universal health coverage.
Results will be shared electronically through SMS or ONline.
- Ancestral Technology & Practices
- GIS and Geospatial Technology
- Internet of Things
- Materials Science
- Software and Mobile Applications
Welink improve access to quality maternal and newborn laboratory services at health centers by providing a smart and quality transport of samples collected at health centers and taken to nearest health facility with adapted laboratory infrastructures,interpreted by qualified personnel and electronic results shared electronically thereby improving the health outcomes in communities. Welink 3 main products:
1. Welink online platform: The platform register all women undergoing antenatal care at healthcenter and given a unique identifier to be used for electronic medical record and tracking of the client.
All laboratory investigation requested will be registered at the unique identifier and transferred to the referral hospital for better analysis . client will receive the interpreted results through sms or online. Welink system will also provide reminders to pregnant women to go for antenatal care as planned
2. Motorbike with fridge containers:This motorbike are used for transportation of sample collected at healthcenters after registering in the
system. The client will receive the interpreted results from the referral hospital through sms or online.
3.Welink offline learning system (core competencies :main causes of
maternal deaths such as post-partum haemorrhage, pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, puerperal sepsis among others, recommended in antenatal l care at Health centers) for healthworkers in remote areas
3 main indicators to measure Welink impacts:
- Antenatal care discontinuation rate: Welink track on weekly basis the antenatal visit underwent by women registered on our system. Whoever missed the ANC visit as scheduled Welink inform the nearest community health worker in charge of maternal health
- Laboratory services consumption at health centers: Welink collect data on available and non-available laboratories services at healthcenters and those welinkconsumption at healthcenters.
- Reduced economic burden: Welink reduce the financial burden to pregnant women who are often referred to hospital from healthcenters only to complete laboratory investigation not available at healthcenters. The burden is associated with money paid for their own transport, feeding and off day for work. For every sample collected andtransport through welink we evaluate all cost implications and compare with the money saved from transferring the pregnant women for only laboratory investigation.
- Pregnant Women
- Rural
- Low-Income
- 3. Good Health and Well-Being
- 10. Reduced Inequalities
our solution is an idea phase, basing on the statistics healthcenters in rural areas provide antenatal care until delivery to at least 50 women per month. We are targeting in one year to work with 2 healthcenters in rural areas wich means at least 1200 women in a year and 10000 in 5 years.
we are also create jobs for welink as 4 motorcyclicts to transport samples, 3 Engineers to run our system and 10 temporary jobs for trainers on our system in our 1 year .
In 5 years we target 20 motorcyclist sample transporters and 5 engineers. and 50 temporary jobs depending on the need.
Our Pilot phase project will run hand in hand with the Rwanda Biomedical center (RBC)the implementing body of the ministry of health. We plan to share the data according to the Rwanda Government policy and we will share our findings to our key partners mainly participating health centers and hospital in our project,RBC, WHOandUNFPA Rwanda . We will also publish our findings in the Rwandan and international medical journal. Our Pilot Phase project will run in 2 districts(Rusizi and Nyamasheke), the furthest districts from Kigali with limited available laboratory services at their health centers. In the next year:
- Improve consumption of antenatal service to 95% in 2 Districts Rusizi and Nyamasheke
- Increase completion of 4 antenatal services as recommended by WHO to more than 80% in the 2 districts Rusizi and Nyamasheke
- create at least 20 paying jobs of at least 200$ per month and mostly given to women and girls.
With pilot results, we will scale Welink in all 30districts of Rwanda. We will also commercialize our sample transportation system which can generate income for project sustainability.
In the next 5 year ;
- To improve the consumption of antenatal service to 95% in all 30 Districts of Rwanda
- To Increase the completion of 4 antenatal services as recommended by WHO to more than 90% in all 30 districts of Rwanda.
- To reduce to less than 5 percent preventable maternal and newborn death related to poor antenatal care.
- 100 jobs created.
For our project we have 3 main barriers
-Financial limitation we need an estimated to 45000$ to run our pilot phase in 1 year
- The Data sensitivity: Our project will have some digital tools and we will deal with some sensitive data .
- The Adaptation to change: Welink is a new solution, The Rwanda Government invest alot in our health system , the health system is very resistant to change by fear accommodating any space for errors.
-Financial limitation we need an estimated to 45000$ to run our pilot phase in 1 year : We are working with different partners especially especially the University of Rwanda innovation lab, in order to raise money for our innovation and gain maximum possible partnerships and funding
- The Data sensitivity: Our project will have some digital tools and we will deal with some sensitive data .
Our project will run in partnership with the Rwanda Biomedical and we will request an ethical clearance and supervision from the ministry of Health to run our pilot phase in the 2 districts Rusizi and Nyamasheke.
- The Adaptation to change: Welink is a new solution, The Rwanda Government invest alot in our health system , the health system is very resistant to change by fear accommodating any space for errors.
With the Assistance of the University of rwanda we are creating a prototype to be shared to District hospitals before our pilot phase commencement.
we will provide online training on the use of welink as well benefits of its in Healthcare . At the completion of our pilot phase in 2 districts we plan to publish of findings the impact of welink in different local and internationals medical journal.
- Hybrid of for-profit and nonprofit
currently our Solution is on conception phase and we have a team of 3 people
members of Consorthealth.org
Project Coordinator : Dr Gasana Joel
Project Technical Coordinator : Dr Uwimana Berchmans
Project Partnership coordinator : Dr Iradukunda Jules
Dr Gasana Joel : is the cofounder of Consorthealth Rwanda and medical Doctor at Butaro Cancer center of Excellence Hospital. he gained an extensive experience while at UNFPA as Innovator in Mobile Health in 2019, A social entrepreneur with global health passion, The 2018 One Young World Ambassador, The 2017 Youth Grant Innovation Spark winner,The 2018 Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneur and Founder of Companionapp. Companionapp is mobile application connecting HIV+ patients and Healthcare providers with mission to improve patients follow up and adherence to Antiretroviral medication (ART).
Dr Uwimana Berchmans: is Co-founder of Consorthealth Rwanda and medical doctor at Nyamata Hospital. He earned his medical degree from the University of Rwanda. During his undergraduate background, he found the first non-USA chapter of Globemed at the University of Rwanda that links students and grassroots organizations to promote health equity and social justice. He vibrated medical students for choice at the University of Rwanda and hosted local, regional, and international conferences. Dr. Berchmans found Flavours of Family PlanningDisrupting male engagement in family planning-flavoursfp.org-and won an honorable mention award of future of the family planning thoughts leadership by Bill&Melinda Gates Institute as well the Iaccelerator phase II competition by Imbuto Foundation, KOICA, and UNFPA.
Dr Iradukunda Jules: is Co-founder of Consorthealth Rwanda and medical doctor at Gitwe Hospital. he holds a medical degree from the University of Rwanda. He has 2 years in clinical practice and over 4 years of public health experience. He was awarded the Student project for health in 2017.
We are in the conception phase ; As Alumni of the University of Rwanda we are currently working with the University of Rwanda Innovation lab in the the prototype development.
Welink business viability lies in 4 ways :
Our Key Customers
1. Health Centers
2. Pregnant Women
Our Products :
1. Online platform for follow up of pregnant system
HealthCenters still rely on papers to document and follow up pregnant women undertaking antenatalcare . our system will provide digital and real time data of the patients and provide them reminders to complete recommended antenatal care services
2. Sample transportation system.
We are decentralizing the antenatal laboratory services, Instead of clients moving to referral hospital just for laboratory investigations, samples will be collected at healthcenters and transported to adapted laboratory infrastructures and qualified personnel . the client will pay all cost related to sample transportation and sms for the results
3. Data sharing agreement
Welink system will have access to giant source of data ( laboratory findings,laboratory exam consumption, antenatal services consumption and adherence) which can be used for research purpose,planning purpose . we will discuss with all due concerned ( study participants, Health regulatory bodies) on possible data sharing.
- Organizations (B2B)
Welink business viability lies in 4ways :
Our Key Customers
1. Health Centers
2. Pregnant Women
Our Products :
1. Online platform for follow up of pregnant system
HealthCenters still rely on papers to document and follow up pregnant women undertaking antenatalcare . our system will provide digital and real time data of the patients and provide them reminders to complete recommended antenatal care services.
Cost are being discussed with the concerned parties
2. Sample transportation system.
We are decentralizing the antenatal laboratory services, Instead of clients moving to referral hospital just for laboratory investigations, samples will be collected at healthcenters and transported to adapted laboratory infrastructures and qualified personnel . the client will pay all cost related to sample transportation and sms for the results.
Cost are being discussed with the concerned parties
3. Data sharing agreement
Welink system will have access to giant source of data ( laboratory findings,laboratory exam consumption, antenatal services consumption and adherence) which can be used for research purpose,planning purpose . we will discuss with all due concerned ( study participants, Health regulatory bodies) on possible data sharing.
Cost are being discussed with the concerned parties
4. Donations and grants
Co-Founder