The Senior Vice President and CEO of Philips Africa, JJ Van Dongen, has said that new innovation will have a substantial impact on healthcare. Speaking on the announcement of the five finalists for the Philips Africa and Innovation Hub’s first partnered competition, the Innovation Fellows Competition, Dongen said new innovations would facilitate better access.
He said: “New innovations can have a substantial impact on health care service delivery by allowing for better access to care thanks to more affordable products for instance, enabling faster diagnosis of illnesses or more effective treatment of diseases.”
The Innovation Fellows Competition aims to find the next big innovation idea that will help revolutionise the South African health care industry as well as address relevant challenges in healthcare.
The top five finalists are:
- iMobiMana by Carol Thomas is an IT platform and mobile kiosk that enable easier access to maternal care and highlight care in private and public sectors.
- A low-cost portable and non-invasive ventilator for tackling Asthma in children aged five to 10 years old.
- A low-cost Diabetes management software designed to facilitate remote monitoring and communication between patients and their care givers.
- An app designed to connect healthcare workers even in rural areas with challenging telecommunications conditions.
- A solution providing early identification of hearing loss, which will result in more timely intervention for children.
The final winner will be announced in November and receive a R200 000 research development budget for their idea.
