CHALLENGE #1

Anaemia Diagnostic Test for Young Girls | Prize: US$ 1,500 (Rs. 1 lakh)

Naandi Foundation is seeking a non invasive, on-the-go, low-cost and scalable haemogram that provides on the spot diagnosis of anemia together with a compliance mechanism for the follow-up drugs. 

Challenge sponsored by Naandi Foundation

Prevalence of anemia (measured by hemoglobin level in the blood) is high among adolescents in India. While the problem exists for both boys and girls, it is especially detrimental for female populations because of the childbearing role they play later in life. In order for a woman to be safe from maternity/pregnancy-related complications and to ensure the health of their child, it is essential that she is not anemic.

There is currently no comprehensive, up-to-date dataset regarding the prevalence of anemia in adolescent girls in India, which negatively affects the ability for healthcare organizations to provide urgent care and design preventive actions. The last such dataset was created by a survey conducted by the Government of India in 2011. One of the reasons periodic hemoglobin measurement of girls is not conducted on a large scale is the cumbersome method of measuring hemoglobin. Typically this involves pricking the fingertip of the girl and drawing a drop of blood. The invasive nature of the procedure - the act of pricking itself - is widely disliked by girls and as a result they don't come forward willingly to get the test done.  In addition, after the drop of blood is drawn, there are different ways in which it can be tested for hemoglobin levels, including very complicated procedures (like the one followed by the government health department) that involve mixing some reagents and waiting for color change. A relatively easier method is using Hemocue equipment, which has a digital display. The invasive testing process has the additional complication of requiring the disposal of bio-waste.

Naandi Foundation is looking for innovative solutions for a simpler method of testing for hemoglobin levels in the blood. This solution should be non-invasive, quick, low-cost, scalable; should not require skilled health personnel; and should not create bio-waste.

 

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CHALLENGE #2

Food Monitoring System for Infants | US$ 1,500 (Rs. 1 lakh)

Naandi Foundation is seeking a technological solution to monitor food and milk intake (quantity and frequency) among children 6 to 8 months old, as well as recommendations for adequate complementary feeding practices for mothers in order to prevent child malnutrition.

Challenge sponsored by Naandi Foundation

Malnutrition among children is a prevalent trend in India, with close to 40% children up to 5 years old being underweight. A critical window of opportunity for fixing the problem is during the 2 month period between 6 and 8 months old, when an infant begins eating semi-solid and solid foods other than breastmilk (referred to as complementary food). Malnutrition can be prevented if the infant is given the right quantity and quality of food in the correct frequency. As Naandi Foundation works extensively with rural, often illiterate families in different parts of India, they focus on home visits in order to speak with families in detail about how to effectively provide complementary feeding. In order to be successful in this aim, information on how exactly the child is being fed is important. Based on that information, Naandi can counsel and advise families on how to best modify their feeding practices.

However, it is currently difficult to get accurate information in this regard. Families are not able to recall, or are not accustomed to remembering such details – for example, what they have fed the infant in the last 24 hours. Since infants eat small quantities throughout the day, it can be difficult to track what solids, semi-solids, and milk the child has consumed, and in what quantities and what frequency. With this information though, Naandi would be able to effectively intervene and fill in the gaps in complementary feeding of the child.

Naandi Foundation is seeking a technological solution to monitor food and milk intake (quantity and frequency) among children 6 to 8 months old, and to recommend adequate complementary feeding practices for mothers in order to prevent child malnutrition.

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CHALLENGE #3

Hearing Impairment Screening and Diagnosis for Rural Populations | US$ 1,500 (Rs. 1 lakh)

Medtronic is seeking solutions for screening and diagnosis of hearing impairment disorders, which build upon and complement their existing ENTraview Ear Screening Kit.

Challenge sponsored by Medtronic

India is estimated to have a hearing-disabled population of over 60 million, affecting people of every age and significantly impacting every facet of life. Of the many causes of hearing impairment, from a sheer scale point of view, untreated middle ear infection is one of the important but preventable causes. With early screening and diagnosis, most diseases of the ear are curable either medically or surgically.

In a groundbreaking initiative, Medtronic launched the “Shruti” initiative in July 2013. The program is envisaged to create sustainable low-cost otology care including awareness, screening, diagnosis, and treatment to the underserved, particularly in densely populated, low-income urban settlements and rural areas by leveraging medical technology, telecommunication, and frugal innovation.

With the reality of limited number of qualified caregivers reducing quality care access, in this case ENT surgeons, the program is operationalized through trained primary ear care health workers (PECH) equipped with an innovative simple “Ear Screening Kit” (ENTraview). Patients with a positive diagnosis will have the option of receiving low-cost care at partner hospitals that includes medicine-based treatment, audiometric tests, and surgical interventions. However, the “Ear Screening Kit” still is unable to address all possible infections and issues.

As such, Medtronic is seeking solutions for: (1) Early Identification of Childhood Deafness; and (2) Objective Assessment of Age-Related/Adult Hearing Loss.

The solution should be scientific and align to medical standards. It will have to be simple so that Shruti Community Health Workers can adapt to the tool/technique easily and with minimal training. The solution should be low cost and with minimal consumables and variable cost. The solution will have to be such that it can be delivered at the community level in low resource environment like urban slums or rural areas. The solution will have to be integrated to ENTraview Screening device and or to existing IT framework of Shruti Program.

More info here

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CHALLENGE #4

Real-Time, Personal Monitoring Device for Pregnant Women in Remore Areas  | US$ 1,500 (Rs. 1 lakh)

NICE Foundation is looking for a low cost, portable, light, personal device, used by non-practitioners or the patients themselves in very remote areas to monitor wellbeing of mother and unborn child in real time. 

Challenge sponsored by Nice Foundation

Every 4th child born in the world is in India; every 4th child that dies in the world is from India.

NICE Foundation is looking for a low cost, portable, light, personal device, used by non-practitioners or the patients themselves in very remote areas to monitor wellbeing of mother and unborn child in real time. This can not be an ultrasound and can not provide a picture. It should work on feature phone or simple smart phone/tablet regardless of connectivity and should be able to monitor the following: 

• Placental separation 

• Fetal wellbeing 

• Hypertension 

• Fetal abnormalities / Fetal presentation 

• Mother wellbeing

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CHALLENGE #5 

Smart Pills & Digestible | US$ 1,500 (Rs. 1 lakh)

IMS Health is seeking a solution in remote monitoring (also known as telemonitoring) that can provide valuable feedback to healthcare providers on patients adherence to treatment. 

Challenge sponsored by IMS Health

IMS Health is a leading global information and technology services company providing clients in the healthcare industry with end-to-end solutions. They are searching for a solution in remote monitoring (also known as telemonitoring) that can provide valuable feedback to healthcare providers on patients adherence to treatment. 

Smart Pills may offer an alternative to invasive procedures, patient self-reporting, in person clinical monitoring. Especially in a developing market like India, it would also offer the ability to monitor the delivery of drugs to remote areas and the administration of medicine to patients in remote clinics and primary care facilities. 

One of the challenges for example is the reoccurring problem of patients not taking their prescribed medication or taking medication incorrectly. This is especially a challenge in low income rural communities, due to lack of trained health practitioners, illiteracy, shortage of funds to purchase medication and low accessibility to clinics. 

IMS health is searching for a low cost solution that can be attached to existing drugs rather than embedded within them in the manufacturing process. The monitoring should focus on the actual administering and intake of medication and not on their registration, transport or dissemination. This needs to be monitored in an environment dealing with shortage of electricity, connectivity and IT infrastructure. 

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CHALLENGE #6

Improving Access to Funding for Cancer Treatments (No cash prize)

Manipal Hospitals is seeking a technological-driven platform to help connect patients to funding sources for cancer treatment.

Challenge sponsored by Manipal Hospitals

Selection of cancer treatment for patients is dependent not just on the clinical merits of the treatment but also on the related costs. Many Indian patients are uninsured and have to therefore rely on loans to fund their treatment and/or to choose a cheaper and less effective treatment option.

Many NGOs, non-profit organizations, philanthropists, and foreign organizations would be interested in funding needy cancer patients suffering from curable cancers. But currently, hospitals rely on personal contacts with social workers or post newspaper advertisements for public appeal.

Manipal hospitals is seeking a simple solution to better connect patients, doctors and philanthropists together. The solution should take into consideration the challenges of technical implementation that exist in India and consider areas of (a) how can anyone access the proposed system; (b) how will a good match between a funding agency and a patient be made; (c) consider governmental hospitals/agencies/ministries as stakeholders and chart how they will be involved in the solution.

 

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CHALLENGE #7

Psychological Counseling Platform for Cancer Patients (No cash prize)

Manipal Hospitals is seeking a technology-driven solution to provide psychological counseling for cancer patients by connecting them to doctors and counselors in a simple and highly accessible manner.

Challenge sponsored by Manipal Hospitals

Management of cancer not only involves treating the patient physically, but also addressing the many psychological repercussions of a long, drawn-out disease. These range from a patient initially being informed that they have cancer, to the pre-treatment, post-treatment scenarios and finally counseling patients who potentially have terminal cancer.

Psychological counseling of patients is an important aspect of the entire cycle of patient care. Currently, only few formal mechanisms cater to this, and many patients use online cancer support groups to share their concerns and provide advice. Notwithstanding the value of other patient experiences, it is important that patients get counseled by professionals. But trained psychologists for cancer patients are scarce, and many times oncologists have to play this role.

Manipal Hospitals is seeking suitable technology-driven solutions to enable doctors, patients (in both urban and rural areas) and counsellors alike to interact. Such a solution should provide a simplified platform to connect patients to counselors, and to help counselors manage many patients.  

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CHALLENGE #8

Managing the Side Effects of Chemotherapy for Patients in Remote Areas (No cash prize)

Manipal Hospitals is seeking technological solutions for administering cancer drugs and managing chemotherapy side-effects during dose administration to patients in remote areas.

Challenge sponsored by Manipal Hospitals

India is currently facing a chronic shortage of medical oncologists, making it challenging to provide & manage chemotherapy for a large number of cancer patients.

Chemotherapy treatment requires that oncologists first make a suitable decision about when and what combination of chemotherapy drugs are to be given to a patient for their treatment. Based on certain individual patient clinical parameters, they consider what would be the appropriate dosage for the patient. These drugs are to be given in multiple “cycles”, i.e. the same combination of drugs will be given to patients every couple of days in the same dosage amount. Some patients may undergo certain side-effects, which will require two primary responses: (a) managing the patient’s condition based on the severity of the side-effects/disease; and (b) guiding the oncologists to alter the dosage amount (increase or decrease) in the next cycle.

Scaling this process for remote hospitals in rural areas is a challenge, as medical oncologists are in short supply and are likewise not available in all geographic regions. These doctors have serious time constraints, as they attend to at least 100 patients each on a daily basis in India.

Manipal Hospitals is seeking a mechanism for local doctors to administer drugs to patients at a remote center (once the medical oncologists have identified the treatment for the patient). The solution should help local doctors communicate effectively with the medical oncologists so that suitable advice can be immediately rendered. The solution should consider (a) technology challenges of infrastructure setup in remote areas; (b) severe time constraints & mobility solutions for medical oncologists; (c) processes that will become best practice.

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CHALLENGE #9  

Tracking Children's Immunization Against Preventable Diseases (No cash prize)

Doctors For You is seeking a technology to provide digital, cloud-based children's vaccination track records to their beneficiaries (families) and health centers in order to improve immunization coverage in the urban slums of Mumbai. 

Challenge sponsored by Doctors For You

In India, only 44% of children aged 12-23 months are fully vaccinated against preventable diseases. In rural areas and urban slums, the rate of unimmunized children can often go up to over 60%. One of the main reasons for partial or non-immunization is the loss of the child's "vaccination card" - a card provided by the government or healthcare providers to help families keep track of all the vaccinations a child is supposed to receive from birth until age 7 in order to be fully immunized. 

Doctors For You is seeking a technological solution to digitalize the vaccination records of 0 to 7 years old children in order to make it accessible a- to all families in any location, at any point of time and b- to all their health centers & health workers in order to make their vaccination campaigns more efficient and allow them to keep more accurate records of their beneficiaries' immunization coverage. 

More info here

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