MIT Solve

Solution Overview

Solution Name

Haven

One-line solution summary.

Airbnb for hospitals.

What is your solution?

It's a mobile app that takes in medical information via questions to the user or medical wearables. It then uses AI to prescribe the appropriate treatment and/or directs one to a medical facility for further treatment and testing if required. That way a patient is sent to the hospital or any medical practice that's most relevant to their affliction. It can work to direct people to the medical facility where they'll be helped quickest similar to the algorithm Uber uses to direct drivers to where there are more passengers

What specific problem are you trying to solve?

Well there are problems on the healthcare providers side and problems on the healthcare receivers side. On the providers side, you have hospitals which are extremely understaffed and doctors who are severely overworked. This leads to decreased job satisfaction, burnout and even depression. This, in turn, results in the doctors making more errors in their work which is cause for concern because in healthcare a single error can be the difference between life and death. The errors then cause the doctors more stress and we have a vicious cycle on our hands. Because requirements for a healthcare job are so stringent, this problem cannot be addressed by just churning out more doctors and nurses. On the healthcare receivers side, you have a large number of patients with easily treatable afflictions requiring medical attention who don't receive it. This results in them getting sicker and requiring even more urgent attention. The ones requiring urgent care are pushed to the front of the line, leaving the ones with the more benign conditions unattended to and resulting in another vicious cycle. Because of demand and supply economics, the scarcity of medical professionals makes seeing one very expensive and unaffordable to many. These people then turn to snake oil salesmen and other quacks and they don't get the help they need.

Who does your solution serve? In what ways will the solution impact their lives?

This mostly serves the people who cannot currently afford quality healthcare that is the poorest 60% of the population. These people can get the help they need quickly and resume their normal lives which in Zimbabwe is very important because most people are not insured.

What steps have you taken to understand the needs of the population you want to serve?

We have interviewed 7 doctors and 3 nurses who all confirmed what is written above. Also we talked to almost 50 potential users and they mostly said they'd like for this to exist. Above all I have a unique insight because I was recently hospitalized with a testicular hernia which required surgery to correct.

Which aspects of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Improving healthcare access and health outcomes; and reducing and ultimately eliminating health disparities (Health)

Our solution's stage of development:

Concept: An idea being explored for its feasibility to build a product, service, or business model based on that idea

Explain why you selected this stage of development for your solution—in other words, what have you accomplished to date?

I selected concept because we're are still building a minimum viable product to get in front of users and receive real feedback. Also, we haven't finalized on the right business model

Where our solution team is headquartered or located:

Harare, Zimbabwe

Team Lead:

Vigilance Nyoni