Denovo Health Rides (DHR)

Northern Nigeria, Nigeria, and Africa at large are faced with low-quality medical laboratory services especially the remote and rural areas. This is due to inaccessibility to the necessary facility as a result of the distance or complexity of the hospital.

The Denovo Health Rides offer a 2-way flow model for medical sample referral service. It involves the delivery of samples for laboratory testing and also returns of testing reports to the point of origin/request. DHR also seeks to provide delivery of blood for transfusion and access to testing reports digitally.

Denovo Health Rides will be able to offer her service by carefully maintaining efficiencies in operations and by targeting a specific segment of the market, those health centers in remote areas.

If scaled, Denovo Health Rides will redefine the National Integrated Sample Referral Network (NiSRN).

Some of the world's highest rates of diseases are found in Africa, particularly among children, and it's not just because of the warm, humid climate. The highest rates are in the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, where, according to the World Health Organization, almost 62% of deaths are a result of communicable diseases, nutritional problems, and perinatal/maternal issues.

What this means is that most deaths in Africa are actually preventable. The cures or preventative measures exist, but they aren't being applied due to poverty, inaccessibility, distance, and other factors in remote or rural areas.

52% of remote populations have to travel a certain distance to access needed healthcare. And about 75% of the health centers in remote areas lack quality medical laboratory facilities for tests such as Tuberculosis, HIV, Lassa, COVID-19 tests.

DHR use mobile and logistics technology to maximize access to quality medical laboratory services by;

1. Connecting patients in need of medical laboratory service with quality facilities from their comfort zones with transport or infrastructure limitations using logistics and vehicles. By creating a Laboratory referral network.
2. Survey and discovery of blood donations from available facilities to the needing facilities. Maintaining or establishing a network of blood banks
3. Creating a platform that permits access to digital patients' medical information at their comfort zones. Promoting Telemedicine in Africa.

DHR targets clients who are in dire need of medical laboratory services such as testing and blood transfusion. Currently, we used Middleman's opinion to understand the needs of limited health centers, sick-individuals by meeting and asking about the needs of the hospital/clinic management, physician and medical laboratory personnel, and clients.

DHR service will permit remote health centers or busy people access to laboratory testing and reliable quick blood donations, which were difficult to access due to limited facilities.

Most remotes areas are disconnected from quality laboratory service. But with the use of logistics vehicles such as bikes or mini-cars, DHR will be able to connect remote health centers and clients with quality and reliable laboratory service. Also, DHR will be able to contribute to the response to disease detection by equipping last-mile primary healthcare providers with the necessary tools such as sample containers, ice packs, knowledge, and skills for sample collection.

Also, prospective data such as the number of requested specific medical laboratory tests generated at DHR has the potentials to contribute to strengthening disease surveillance.

In February 2020 before the lockdown, the Founder of Denovo Health Rides started building a prototype by visiting several hospitals in Funtua metropolis, Katsina state. This was first tested as a project tagged “Improving health diagnosis” under a Hackathon organized by the 100WomenInTech and sponsored by the National Information and Technological Development Agency (NITDA) in March 2020. And won as 2nd runner-up with cash of $250 in April 2020.

By the end of May 2020, Denovo Health Rides has started piloting with 1 hospital (New Funtua Clinic, Funtua). Denovo Health Rides was also a beneficiary/pitch winner (cohort 1) of the Build to Accelerate programme organized by the “UK Nigeria Tech Hub” in partnership with “Startup Kano”. Denovo Health Rides currently serves 3 hospitals in Funtua and 1 in Bakori on a request basis in Katsina State, Nigeria.

Health logistics is not a new market, but Denovo Health Rides (DHR) is bringing a new business model into the medical and health sector by utilizing mobile and logistics means to address inaccessibility to reliable and quality medical laboratory testing facilities.

The innovative concept of DHR are;

Maximize medical laboratory testings. 

• Community and remote base.
• Support Community health services.
• Use traditional mobile logistics.
• Telemedicine concept.
• Sustainable business model.
• Promote quality assurance, validation and improve diagnostic value.
• Contribute to Research and Development.

Currently serving 40O people in Funtua metropolis, Katsina State, Nigeria. At the end of the first year of full operation, DHR should be serving the whole of Katsina State (1.25million SAM).

By the next 3 years, DHR will be serving most of the North-western Nigeria Population.

And in the next 5 years will be serving some of the population in the West-Africa countries.

DHR is targeting the sustainability of the 3rd (Goodhealth and wellbeing) SDGs. The impact is being measured by the contribution in the sustainability of the SDG-3 indicator (3.8.1) in improving the coverage of essential health services and to contribute to the sustainability of the SDG-3 indicator (3.d.1) in strengthening the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks in developing countries through the sustainability of the SDG-9 target (9.5) by upgrading the technological capabilities of industries and strengthening the global partnership.

Denovo Health Rides has 3 Team members working as part-time staff.

Denovo Health Rides founding team are experienced Medical Laboratory scientists who understand the concept of medical laboratory testing. 

And the Team lead of the team has in the past participated in various Business acceleration and challenges such as the MIT Virtual solving challenge (Solveathon), 2020 in a paired group of Hack The Crisis Nigeria and AIC Raise, where fortunately his suggestion with collective supportive ideas was voted for and pitch during the Solveathon.

Team members and Staff will be trained in the necessary skills needed. Technical staff will be trained on phlebotomy, conditions of samples in transportation, GPS usage, and documentation. The cost of training will be minimized by employing community health workers, medical laboratory technicians, or medical laboratory assistance who are familiar with sample conditions.

Solution Needs

• Join a class of impressive peers that act as a trusted support group, offering inspiration and guidance.
• Join a powerful network of impact-minded leaders across industries and sectors during Solve’s flagship events.
• Receive access to funding in grants and investments which will tackle the financial constraints.

• Gain access to business mentorship, coaching, and media publicity which will improve DHR brand perception

Denovo Health Rides seek support and mentor-ship in the above selected relevant areas like;

• Restrategizing business model
• Going into market strategy
• Human resource management
• And partnership for web platform development.

Partnership with Ministries of Health will support the solution in gaining the public trust and the market presence.

Also, partnership with MIT Solve will help the solution stay connected with other potentials partnership which can contribute to the goals of Denovo Health Rides. 

DHR also intends to partner with some telemedicine platforms (e.g. KANGPE HEALTH). 

Denovo Health Rides' objectives are in line with the 3rd (Good health and wellbeing) of the SDGs. Denovo Health Rides (DHR) is a health-tech solution that targets primarily the most vulnerable population (rural and remotes areas). The solution at DHR permits access to health information, access to quality medical laboratory service,  promotes the use of digital technology which has become difficult to access because of the unsocial terrain, and limited facilities, or infrastructure. 

Currently, sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing community transmission of Tuberculosis and HIV during this pandemic as the COVIF-19 pandemic has gain focus over other infectious diseases at the community level and is compounded by limited knowledge and inaccessibility to testing facilities and technology. DHR solution will maximize access to medical laboratory testing to the community workers that serve the remote population. The following strategic solutions will be offered;

1. Connecting patients in need of medical laboratory service with quality facilities from their comfort zones using logistics and vehicles. By creating a Medical sample referral network.

2. Survey and discovery of blood donations from available facilities to the needing facilities. By maintaining or establishing a network of blood banks

3. Creating a platform that permits access to digital medical information. By developing a web platform or software that will equally promote telemedicine in Africa.

Our service will also provide community health employment opportunities to the remote populations, tackle many causes of disease and mortality rate that are preventable.

The Global Fund Prize will grant DHR the chance to win financial funding which will help beat financial constraints or weakness that the solution is wrestling.  Also winning the Global Fund Prize will improve the profile and press presence of the solution in tackling infectious disease transmission at the community or remote level.