eMedSample & SharedBlood

Medical laboratory testing or diagnoses remain 70% relevant in healthcare. An experience with the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital in Zaria indicates that over 60 out of 100 patients that visit the hospital come from nearby or faraway towns, mostly remote areas. This is also applicable to other developing countries. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), almost 62% of deaths in developing countries are due to preventable diseases, which are associated with a lack of adequate or equipped facilities for medical tests or diagnoses. During the pandemic, the remote populations, and even some other populations couldn't access testing facilities due to limited resources and the same lockdown.

A solution that could bridge the gap, bring quality closer, and equip last-mile remote health facilities would resolve this problem.

We offer two solutions: eMedSample and SharedBlood.

• eMedSample is already an enrolled pilot idea. It is designed based on medical sample referral and logistics concepts, with a focus on addressing inaccessibility to quality medical laboratory services. Medical samples are collected and delivered for investigation or testing, such as for tuberculosis, cancer, COVID-19, routine tests, etc.
• And SharedBlood, which is a blood or blood component-donor drive or delivery using an effective cold-chain for blood transfusion.

As previously mentioned, due to a lack of facilities, people in remote populations had to travel a certain distance to urban health facilities in order to access high-quality medical laboratory services. This also applies to some Nigerian public and private health facilities.

The solution is intended for patients in rural areas who are in urgent need of laboratory services for medical purposes, such as testing and blood transfusion. In this instance, clients include people, last-mile healthcare facilities, hospital and clinic management, doctors, and medical laboratory staff, as well as other organizations.

The solutions seek to maximize access to medical diagnoses in remote areas by contributing to universal health coverage through indicator 3.8.1. The solutions also promote healthy competition among healthcare or medical laboratory service providers and researchers, which contributes to target 3.b of the SDGs.

We are a team of medical laboratory scientists. As a result, we have the benefit of networking and having access to medical laboratory staff as well as regulatory organizations like the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) and other healthcare professionals.

Additionally, each of the communities is home to the founding team. We went to several primary health centers in the Nigerian states of Katsina and Bauchi in order to comprehend the limitations of those facilities from the viewpoints of both medical professionals and community members. The two solutions' designs were built on the foundation of this knowledge. We started testing the solution (eMedSample) in Funtua Metropolis in Katsina State as a follow-up to our visits to the medical facilities, and we will be testing both eMedSample and SharedBlood in Bauchi State as well.

We have delivered a total of 200 average samples from a range of patients originating from four healthcare facilities in Katsina State—Funtua Clinics, Himma Clinics, Khamec Hospital, and Comprehensive Health Centers—located in the Funtua and Bakori metropolises, respectively.

Currently, 12 health centers in Bauchi State have given their consent and agreed to take part in the pilot program.

Reasons for applying to solve includes;

• to be a part of an impressive group of peers who serve as a reliable support system and source of inspiration and business development advice.
• to become a part of a strong network of impact-minded leaders from various sectors and industries, allowing access to insights into the global health ecosystem.
• gain access to business mentorship, coaching, and media publicity that will improve the solution's brand perception.
• receive access to funding through grants and investments, which will aid in tackling financial constraints.

The inventive ideas include the following, which are replicable:

• increase the number of medical lab tests.
• community and remote bases.
• bolster last-mile health services.
• employ customary mobile supply chains and logistics.
• facilitating the management of laboratory information
• concept of telemedicine.
• a viable business strategy.
• encourage validation, quality assurance, and increased diagnostic efficacy.
• contribute to research and development.

• Next year, a pilot program will be implemented in Bauchi State. During that time, we would gain recognition from the Nigerian Medical Laboratory Science Council, the Ministry of Health, and the Nigerian Center for Disease Control.

• Scale our activity in other states in Nigeria within the next five years. Work towards the development of a DHR digital solution, i.e., a software or website that permits the upload of medical records or reports accessible to particular individuals or health facilities, and a solar-powered refrigerant.

Good health and wellbeing are significant for a sustainable world. However, due to restrictions, access to facilities outfitted to offer healthcare services is challenging in some developing nations. Additionally, medical diagnoses account for 70% of healthcare services, according to the WHO. Therefore, by advancing universal health coverage through indicator 3.8.1, the solutions aim to increase access to medical diagnoses in rural areas. Researchers could also make use of the offered solutions, which support SDG 3.b and encourage healthy competition among healthcare providers. The five primary targets of SDG 3 are all addressed by the solutions, which also cover the delivery of samples for testing on communicable and noncommunicable diseases. All of this supports innovation (SDG 9), which would be made possible by partnerships (SDG 17).

Most of the people in remote areas do not trust the services offered due to lack of necessary resources and instead retire to traditional treatments, while some of them have to be referred to an urban health facility, according to most of the remote health personnel. 

Imagine getting sick and having to travel to a faraway health facility to get tested or diagnosed. How about visiting the same facility in your area where your samples are collected and transported to the required facility and receiving your medical result or report through an encrypted system online or through a message. This would be possible with DHR services. 

The short-term outcome will provide access to reliable medical laboratory testing facilities and improve medical testing. And the long-term outcome will facilitate a healthy environment, employment opportunities, patient and hospital convenience, access to medical details, and improved medical testing facilities; promote trust and assurance in medical laboratory testing and reports; and provide data for public health and epidemiological decision-making in Africa.

We leverage on transit (bikes and cars), cold-chain (refrigerant boxes), and audio-visuals (calls, messages, social media, e.g., WhatsApp).

We are aspiring to develop a tele-platform (website/app) that permits access to services offered and to develop a solar-powered refrigerant to facilitate cold-chain services.

The solutions were created using the information gathered from community members and healthcare professionals. Community health professionals who come from a variety of target communities make up the staff at our startup.

We intend to mobilize team members and employees based in the affected regions. Additionally, they'll get the training they need in phlebotomy, sample transportation conditions, mechanical services for transit agents, communications, information management, and GPS operation.

Through agreements with partners, we charge for the services we provide. By building a number of carefully placed centers, we will increase our service using the distribution paradigm. Based on key performance indicators (distance, turnaround time, number of samples or pints of blood, logistics information services, logistics additional services, and supplementary additional services), the cost of the service is calculated using a cost-per-kilometer analysis.

We would be able to offer our service by paying close attention to maintaining operational effectiveness and by concentrating on a specific market sector—those health centers in the rural areas.

Going forward, we would partner to create a “mobile app or website." It will connect patients or remote health facilities with digital medical records. Other solutions for both service efficiency and financial sustainability include:

• SafeSampTransport (SST)
• MedLabConsult (MLC)
• MedLabStock (MLS)

The current source of funds is personal savings and revenue generated. We seek both grants and investments.