BHECO EPIDEMIC PLATFORM

Globally Over 1Bn and 3M South Sudan rural population lack access to health care and emergency services, because they largely lived in areas with limited health and emergency services forcing them to make expending considerable time and money to make lengthy and difficult travel to access care during outbreaks. BHECO is developing offline, low cost, scalable offline wireless mobile text based message platform that strengthens health system preparedness and responses to epidemic by removing barriers and supplementing gaps through technology – a multifaceted engagement and communication platform.  We  build capacity and supports the First Frontline Health Care Workers (FLHW) to collect epidemiological data, prepare, manage alerts, coordinate, conduct awareness and education on outbreaks and health needs and monitor emergency response networks, by guiding the nearest available FLHW to quickly prepare, respond and mobilize resources anywhere there’s a smart phone signal with or without internet using platform.

Globally, 1Bn rural population lack access to emergency services and will be spending at least 10% household budget on health care with 50% pushed to extreme poverty during the COVID-19 pandemic, largely because they lived in areas with limited health services. Unfortunately, in underserved communities face multiple but surmountable barriers, making difficult travel and expending considerable time to access  emergency services. Vulnerable and underserved population face some of the harshest healthcare realities in the world. In times of pandemic, these negative outcomes grow exponentially. Lack of access to health/emergency services perpetuates misinformation, poor health, poverty and deaths. Limited options for these communities leave them with choice of going without or with disastrous expenditures that wreck their livelihoods. Available evidence indicates that underserved rural population in South Sudan and worldwide still faced persistent challenges in accessing emergency services during COVID-19 Pandemics. Current options to deal with  emergency services aren’t sustainable, scalable and costly for the new emerging health/emergencies. Even rich countries like US face similar challenge to respond to epidemics and low income countries aren’t easily excluded primarily owing to under-developed infrastructure for epidemic preparedness.  We need a new way to address challenges of emergencies quickly, at low cost and sustainably

Our solution is a low cost, scalable, offline mobile text based message platform that strengthens the health system for epidemic preparedness and responses by removing barriers and supplementing gaps through technology, a multifaceted engagement and communication platform. Our solution helps  first responders to prepare and respond to epidemic by collecting epidemiological data, managing alerts, coordinating and monitoring emergency response networks, conducting awareness and education on outbreaks preparedness and health needs anywhere there’s a smart phone signal with or without internet in limited resources using platform.

Our solution:

 1) empowers FLHWs and individuals remotely to work with multi-disciplinary stakeholders strengthened and coordinated through the platform and captured epidemiological data before, during, aftermaths and in the normal health needs of the vulnerable population 

2) alerts coordinates and monitor emergency network by guiding the nearest available FLHWs to quickly prepare the community and mobilize necessary resources for the response. 

3)automates the records and stores detailed data from every emergency outbreak that occurred and reproducing it in several reports that assists to detect and manage future public health risks.

4) integrates and enables interactive incident maps, group chats location and workflows for emergency services and individual reports for surveillance of diseases in several languages.

Our digital solution is targeting the need for epidemic preparedness and responses to the global and local emergencies. 

Our solution is locally developed in response to the growing need to remotely empower the Front Health Workers to break barriers to primary health care access in the underserved population of South Sudan in epidemic such as the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemics. Our solution is not only serving the low resourced and underserved population at the time of epidemic outbreaks (preparedness, responses and recovery) but also breaking existing barriers to primary health care access for communities

Our offline digital epidemic/pandemic platform will benefit stakeholders across of service delivery, at the victim’s level, health system and community level affected by epidemic of specifics diseases mainly Cholera, COVID-19, malaria, influenza, Zika, Ebola and Malaria. 

The digital platform will be used by the Front Health Workers at community level, health system and house level to prepare the community for predicted outbreaks of any kind and magnitude and the stakeholders accessing the platform to analyze the collected and existing data to enable designing more effective interventions to the existing or current gaps to health system in terms of access and preparedness. Our solution can also quickly benefit epidemiologist in contact tracing, diseases surveillance and delivery of medicine and supplies to the remote and underserved communities.

Our solution is complete, easily deployable for emergency services anywhere without needing any physical infrastructure set up, easy to launch and drastically reduces cost of running emergency services. We specifically want to benefit the population living in IDPs and refugees Camps prone to outbreaks of epidemic such as cholera, malaria. 

Our solution serves and benefits actors along the health Access-Emergency ecosystem such as first responders, CHWs, health workers, local governments, and NGOs. Through our digital platform, we will ultimately make services immediately available for the victims of the epidemic outbreaks, for health system.  For health system, our solution readily reduces deployment cost while also increasing their ability to reach quickly to vast geographical areas. For Government: and NGOs, our solution solves the challenges of setting up expensive traditional emergency response network systems.

We engaged directly with the community in delivering primary health Care health services in South Sudan. This population have barriers to accessing health services and any outbreaks (epidemic or pandemic) severely impact on their lives. We carried out interviews and Focus group discussion(FGD) on the barriers and access to Primary health care in all situation. 

We also conducted analysis of the existing epidemiological data through our community health programs from community and health facility level to understand the impact of various outbreaks, including preparedness, responses, monitoring and recovery interventions. our effort will target all the first responders and FLHWs including the families in the households who are severely impacted during epidemic and emergencies.

We supported the training of first responders and FLHWs on incidents-data, alerting, coordinating and monitoring emergency response networks, awareness creation on outbreaks/ health needs. Already we have engaged the communities through training, meetings, health education and including their views. We will also create feedback mechanism with our beneficiaries to support any future health emergencies by looking at establishing relevant and standard tools that can easily be used across literacy level of the community used mainly by the FLHWs. We have tested our solution in limited setting and has been used by 2000 individuals for various diseases capturing data on interactions. But for these tools to stay relevant they must be consolidated into a comprehensive platform, used in real-world settings, and continually improved.  As FLHWs will be the main key first responders in our epidemic preparedness and response network, we will work with them on our existing program to help in creating new ways of preparing and responding the various epidemic in South Sudan and globally. Late this year, on availability of fund, we will be deploying our solution in low resource South Sudan- Uganda border hosting significant numbers of IDPs and refugee’s population

Our solution removes barriers and supplements health access and emergency gaps in the systems through:

1) empowering the FLHWs to work with multi-disciplinary stakeholders strengthened, coordinated through the platform

2) alerting, coordinating and monitoring responses network by guiding FLHWs to quickly prepare, mobilize resource, create awareness and education on epidemics.

3) reproducing several reports from stored detailed data for every outbreak that occurred, assisting FSLWs to prepare and manage public health risks to epidemics.

4)supports FLHWs to manages the required resources, logistic system by coordinating, monitoring emergency team, medicines/supplies and vehicles in the vast geographical areas in the last mile.

Our solution has gone through prototype development. We applied for approval from MOH/ICT Ministries and partnership to pilot test our solution in South Sudan.

 To date, we tested the functionality of the solution by onboarding individuals on the various diseases including COVID-19 pandemic (outbreaks) using smart-phone with syncing features in adhoc manner. 

In preparation to pilot the solution, we created awareness and engaged with the local communities, local health system, NGOs and government, for their buy-in and as well instill confidence and drive advocacy on the upcoming solution with positive result. 

We recruited and trained first responders (FLHWs) who will use the smartphone to collect data, coordinate-alert, screen, deliver products, monitor emergencies and deliver health product during any emergency. 

We have created hubs of trained FLHWs for the pilot. We are now seeking funds to pilot test our solution in two large communities of South Sudan

No any other solution can achieve rapid, affordable, low-cost and run offline or with limited internet to sync on all the emergency updates and information for epidemic preparedness and response network for low resourced geographical areas like our solution.

Our solution, enables easily-deployable emergency services anywhere, increasing access while reducing costs. Our web-based solution has do-it-yourself computer-aided dispatch platform allowing easy launch for emergency intervention in 30 minutes/ less, unlike Traditional Medical Emergency System (TMES), which isn’t always readily available for deployment.

Our Solution allows people of all literacy levels and tech-ability to access the services and remotely empowers FLHWs to manage emergency with beneficiaries continuing to receive updated information by its peer syncing features. Our solution features are built on social model Integrating partners/stakeholders together, with focus on achieving social impact, mainly by working with government to provide linkages to existing public providers and fill-the-gaps in communication for rapid preparation and responses.

Our solution customizable function is adapted to a range of different pre emergency delivery models, is cost effective and the cost to deploy TMES in one community can fund several emergency preparedness and responses in many communities using our solution. Our solution dispatches FLHWs to carry out emergency preparedness plans and coordinate local responses efforts on any phone, with-without Internet, in areas where formal resources are unavailable-inaccessible.

Our solution is easily deployed for coordination, monitoring without person-to-person interaction offering much in terms of economies of scale promoting development by removing the catastrophic effect with overarching health impact.

We will be launching our pilot solution in the late 2021. By end of 2021, we expect to serve about 100,000 individuals. In 1 year, we expect to reach 500,000-people. In 5 years, we will reach to over 5million beneficiaries, creating enormous network for any responses in the country. With our remote learning platform, we expect to reach over 10,000 FLHWs with 250 hubs, who will be coordinating the solution among the local communities in remote underserved locations.

The target population that is directly impacted by the solution includes women, men, elderly, adolescents and people with disabilities living in remote, underserved population. Beyond the directly impacted population, we also impact on the FLHWs at various level of health system and community. The FLHWs who are the significant part of the solution will collect epidemiological data coordinate alerts, monitors evidence of impeding epidemics and prepare the community for rapid response. The FLHWs will be able to rapidly coordinate delivery of resources (medicine, supplies) and vehicles in vast geographical areas in the last mile of interventions. Our solution includes working with people from lower socio- economic backgrounds, supporting preparedness and response system. The solution enables remotely empowering the local FLHWs and individuals directly contributing to addressing the barriers to health access emergency preparedness and response thus providing sustained system for future epidemic responses. Going forward, as we move to expand our solution, we will hire more FLHWs including who are mainly the CHWs supporting hundreds of thousands with capacity and incentives 

Our solution will obviously achieve its intended impact by improving emergency responses and recovery process during epidemic. We shall regularly monitor the platform activities for its performance, suitability and effectiveness in addressing the emergency response network. We will monitor the number of local responders, alerts, emergency preparedness and responses.

We will also monitor emergency resources through focusing on emergency alerts, incidents, coordination, responders and vehicle across larger geographical area. We shall use the detailed recorded and stored data from every emergency incident dispatched analyzing the reports for detecting and managing public health risk and potential for epidemic outbreaks.

Our measure will focus on key performance indicators of our solution covering process, outcome, output and impact. We will specifically monitor the use of system for emergency incident dispatch on 24/7 basis to the local community, first responders who have responded to dispatch communication on emergency incidents, emergency victims that has been successfully managed with help of the solution platform, trained, formal and informal first local responders and life saved from emergency incidents and epidemics. In long run, we will be able to determine the impact of our solution on the communities (deaths and life saved) during emergency using the data collected. Data for the measures is collected through the digital platform, interviews, surveys and triangulated and analyzed using different methodologies.  

Our team comprised of 7 experts driven by shared passion to reach the vulnerable population without affordable health care. The team are: Co-Founders – 2. Full-time Experts – 3 and Part Time Experts – 1 and volunteer -1 (Unpaid)

The team brings together a 40+ year of experience with global healthcare, digital healthcare, technology, data analytics healthcare performance improvement, pathway design, new service delivery approaches, and business strategy. 

The solution was conceived during the implementation community MNH innovation funded by CHF to address lockdown challenges during COVID19 Pandemic.

Our founder, CEO Dr. Christopher Vunni, who holds PhD and MSc. In Public Health who firstly developed the idea of DIPSALE and has for the past 4 years been working on innovation to improve health care through technology for social impact in Africa. Over the past 12 years, Christopher expertly promoted Public Health focusing on MNH and health system reform and privately worked on social entrepreneurial venture. He received GCC grant that motivated him to work at heights to incorporates scientific/technological approaches to health care, now emergency.

Our committed Technological team includes: Richard Emul, who holds MBA and BSc.in IT, brings 12 years’ experience in a variety of ICT and business architect roles and diligently contributed to designing the app, testing applicability, business strategy and digital capacity building. Dr. Kevin brings 27 years of research implementation on inclusive social enterprise and inclusive markets. He expertly leads the concept of patient access, healthcare performance improvement and pathway design. Adam Camenzuli, Social Entrepreneur. Brings over 15+years’ experience in African social enterprise, logistics, micro franchising, international trade & financial management. He developed the business strategy, logistics, marketing and health commodity and vehicle dispatch tracking.

The team is comprised of diverse team driven by shared passion to reach the vulnerable population without affordable health care through Digital health technologies. The team are: 1) Dr. Christopher Vunni: is Ugandan – South Sudanese who hold PhD in Public Health. He is the project Lead, with extensive experience in global health, health care delivery, access and health innovation pathway 2) Richard Emul:  Ugandan, Holds Bachelors in ICT, he is the Chief Technologist. 3) Adam Camenzuli: A Canadian Citizen   Social Innovation Specialist, Healthy Entrepreneur with over 15 years in logistic, marketing and social Acumen in Africa.4) Judith Draleru: Ugandan-South Sudanese with Bachelor in Public Health and MA in Conflict and Peace Building with over 15 years. 5) Dr. Kevin McKague, a Canadian Citizen, Hold PhD and   Social Scientist/Researcher, Cape Breton University. 6) Elijah Opio, South Sudanese, Chief Strategic Officer, MBA, 16 years in financial accounting. The team has been working together on the solution since 2019, that developed the prototype and tested the platform in emergency and non-emergency setting. The team brings together a 40+year of experience with global healthcare, digital healthcare, technology, data analytics healthcare performance improvement, pathway design, new service delivery approaches, and business strategy. The team is well skilled to operate crowd-sourcing emergency health care responses among decentralized network of trained and informal first responders that is spread across the community. The team is driven by purpose of what they do, while trailblazing a new way, empowering people, restless for change and always walking the talk.

The SOLVE Challenge is exactly aligned with our goal for the solution of preparing and responding to health emergency. We are excited about being part of a peer network with organizations who are doing similar work to exchange learnings, advice and support. The award would greatly help us advance our work by allowing us the complete and launch our field pilot. Through the SOLVE Challenge global network, we want to meet and share our ideas with potential partners. We are also interested in growing our network/partners within our region/Internationally. We would get a chance to learn and be mentored by experts in the SOLVE network, find investors or grant organizations that are connected with our mission. We have limited access to experts and growth partners or network in South Sudan, limiting our prospect of learning new ideas and knowledge. We might be able to find people willing to voluntarily contribute their knowledge time and resource.

Our goal is to grow and be world premier providers of offline health solution, and this is possible through sourcing and scaling that is possible through a platform currently best provided by SOLVE. We might partner with another startup team that can help us test our solution in another region or market or target audience and see if we need to pivot or grow or scale to another market or region right away. SOLVE challenge will be invaluable for us in ensuring broader support in terms of technical advice, resource mobilization and strategic interventions.

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We are planning to launch our pilot test late this year (2021) and we need to mobilize enough funding to ensure the product is successfully launched during the pilot phase. We planned to partner with organization that provides peer–peer networking, technology mentorship, impact measurement, media Visibility and Exposure to Grant Funding. This year, we need to raise significant funding to pilot our solution. We hope to leverage the Trinity ecosystem to find funders and investors aligned with our impact goals. We also need connections to governments-donors who procure and deploy digital systems at large scale. We hope to gain visibility globally. We would also like to work with NGOs that facilitate health/emergency enhancement programs. Lastly, we would like to help and benefit from any partnerships from organizations that procure health technology for disaster-humanitarian relief as part of government or UN bids. We also hope to partner with other Trinity ecosystem teams to establish synergies/collaborations to amplify all our efforts to deliver better services. We also hope to partner with other SOLVE teams to establish synergies and collaborations to amplify all our efforts to deliver better services to vulnerable communities.