Many developing countries do not have the same health resources available to them as developed nations. Healthcare workers must come up with creative solutions to problems. PATH is a nonprofit organization that works to solve world health issue with innovative and creative solutions.

This year, PATH–with support of Norad, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and USAID–published a list of 30 creative solutions to different healthcare challenges in areas such as maternal, newborn and child health; infectious and noncommunicable diseases; and reproductive health. The inventions were submitted by entrepreneurs, investors, innovators and health experts from around the world. Those selected demonstrated sustainability, success in field testing, high numbers of saved lives, and low cost.

There are new forms of oxytocin, used to stop bleeding after childbirth, that are in powder and tablet form. Both the new forms are easier to transport and are safe for lower-level health workers to use than the typical injection. There are also new ways to create typical medical devices used during delivery, for example, the uterine balloon tamponade. It is typically used in wealthy countries to control bleeding, but developing nations often don’t have access to it. The solution was to tie a condom to a catheter which is then inflated with clean water through a syringe.

For combating diseases, there are Malaria vaccines, BPaZ to treat multi-drug resistant TB in three months, and new nucleic acid amplification test for TB. The Polypill is a low-cost pill for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. To treat visions issues which affects 300 million people worldwide, there are new portable devices that low-level health officials can use to diagnose eye issues.

In reproductive rights, innovators created a one-year contraceptive vaginal ring so that women have more control for pregnancy prevention

PATH sees this list of 30 innovations as game changers in addressing global health issues. They are low cost and easily portable and administered by lower level health care officials. The hope is that these drugs and devices will help the world reach the 2030 health targets set out by the UN. To read the full list of innovations, visit PATH’s website.

– Katherine Hewitt

Sources: IC 2030, NPR
Photo: IC 2030