Innovate Health Hub

20/09/2025

How Digitising Health Insurance Can Be a Pathway to UHC.

As countries work toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC), one major bottleneck remains: paper-based insurance claims. These systems often lead to delays, errors, fraud, and financial strain for health facilities.

Digitising claims processing offers a game-changing opportunity:
✅ Faster reimbursements and improved cash flow for facilities
✅ Reduced administrative burden on health workers
✅ Better data quality, transparency, and accountability
✅ Stronger foundations for planning and decision-making

Of course, challenges remain, but the evidence is clear that the benefits far outweigh the costs when designed and scaled well.

To be sustainable, digital claims must be embedded in broader health system reforms and backed by strong leadership, governance, and ongoing investment in data and evidence.

👉 Full article: https://publichealth.jhu.edu/center-for-global-digital-health-innovation/digitizing-health-insurance-claims-building-sustainable-pathways-to-uhc

Research Roundup Digitizing Health Insurance Claims: Building Sustainable Pathways to UHC Issue 24, August 2025 In this month’s Digital Health Research Roundup, as part of our Digital Health Exemplars project, Dr. Frances Baaba da-Costa Vroom and Yoko Shimada explore the benefits–cost consider.....

19/09/2025

Ubenwa Health is transforming newborn and infant care through the power of AI and voice technology.

The name Ubenwa, which means “the cry of a child” in Igbo, reflects the heart of the technology.
Using machine learning algorithms, Ubenwa analyses the acoustic patterns of a newborn’s cry to detect abnormalities linked to birth asphyxia.
The system is designed as a mobile app, requiring only a smartphone and a microphone.
Health workers or caregivers can record a short sample of an infant’s cry, and the AI model interprets it within seconds, offering an immediate, non-invasive, and affordable screening result.

The future of healthcare is intelligent and inclusive.

📌Where else do you think AI can make the biggest impact in healthcare?

According to the World Health Organisation, nearly 1 million newborns die every year from birth asphyxia, the majority in sub-Saharan Africa. Many of these deaths are preventable if warning signs are recognised early enough. Birth asphyxia occurs when a baby’s brain and vital organs do not receive...

18/09/2025

🚨 Opportunity Alert: Human-Centred Design Consultant(s)

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is looking for Human-Centred Design consultants to support innovation projects improving access to care.

📌 Contract: 3 months (50%, ~75 hrs/month)
📌 Start: October 2025
📌 Deadline: 7 Oct 2025 (midnight CET)

The consultant will guide innovation teams through defining challenges, co-creating solutions, and testing prototypes in humanitarian and public health contexts.

👉 Apply by sending CV and motivation letter to:
📩 natalie.oconnell@stockholm.msf.org

More about the position: https://reliefweb.int/job/4176000/human-centred-design-consultant

18/09/2025

Applications are officially open for the Global Startup Ecosystem (GSE) Digital Startup Accelerator 2025!

What’s in it for you?
✅ Up to $150,000 in free cloud credits from AWS, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud & more
✅ Access to top-tier mentors and training
✅ Opportunities to connect with investors and global industry leaders

🗓 Deadline: October 1, 2025

Don’t miss your chance—apply now and fast-track your startup’s growth: https://globalstartupecosystem.com/

17/09/2025

“Technology is the enabler, but clinicians and caregivers will always be in the lead.”
— Tom Andriola

In the excitement around AI, digital health, and automation, it’s easy to forget a fundamental truth: technology is only as powerful as the humans who use it.

📌 Technology brings scale, precision, and speed.
📌 Clinicians bring compassion.

📌 Caregivers bring trust.

The future of healthcare is not about replacing people with machines, but about empowering the people who save lives every day.

When clinicians lead and technology enables, we unlock the best of both worlds: human empathy + digital intelligence.

👉 What do you think?
How can we better integrate technology as a partner without losing the human touch in healthcare?

16/09/2025

🚨 Opportunity Alert!

, in partnership with the African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC) and funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, is calling for game-changing innovations tackling cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs) such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease in humanitarian settings across Sub-Saharan Africa.

They are inviting submissions from organisations, health actors, researchers, and communities working on:

✅ Digital tools
✅ Products and devices
✅ Community-led solutions
✅ New models of care

If your work is transforming CMD care in crisis-affected communities, this is your chance to be showcased globally.

🗓️ Deadline: 3 October 2025
👉 Apply here: https://www.elrha.org/news-blogs/call-for-innovations-cmd-management-prevention-sub-saharan-africa

Explore our curated collections of reports, innovation catalogues, toolkits, gap analyses, research priority settings and case studies.

15/09/2025

For years, electronic health records (EHRs) were often seen as a distant luxury in Africa’s healthcare systems.

Today, that perception is shifting. From Lagos to Nairobi to Kigali, more hospitals and clinics are moving beyond pilot projects to real, operational EHR implementations.

As this map shows, EHR platforms like DHIS2, OpenMRS, and Bahmni are now widely used across the continent.

The trend reflects a growing recognition that better health outcomes depend on better data.

👉 This article explores the trends, challenges, and opportunities of EHRs in Africa. https://lnkd.in/e499MMia

12/09/2025

Startup 💡 Spotlight: Famasi, Nigeria 🇳🇬

Managing medications is a daily challenge for millions living with chronic conditions in Africa. Missed refills, limited access to pharmacies, and fragmented care often lead to poor health outcomes.

Famasi is tackling this by reimagining how patients access and manage their medications. The startup provides a digital-first pharmacy operating system that makes ordering, refilling, and tracking medicines easier and more reliable.

Notable Innovations

✅ Automated medication refills delivered to patients’ doorsteps
✅ Subscription model for people living with chronic conditions, reducing missed doses
✅ Pharmacy workflow tools that streamline inventory and dispensing for providers
✅ Patient engagement features to boost adherence and continuity of care

Impact

✅ Supporting patients with chronic medication management across Nigeria
✅ Partnering with local pharmacies to strengthen last-mile access to medicines
✅ Recognised among Africa’s next-generation digital health startups for improving pharmacy efficiency and patient adherence

🔗 Learn more: https://famasi.africa

11/09/2025

The Gates Foundation AI Fellows Program.

The 12-month AI Fellows Program at the Gates Foundation is designed to accelerate the responsible and impactful use of AI in global health, development, and education in LMICs.

Deadline: September 20, 2025.

Apply here 👉 https://gatesfoundation.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Gates/job/AI-Fellows--12-month-LTE--_B021159-1

10/09/2025

Why do so many startups fail even with brilliant ideas?

According to CB Insights, a whopping 42% of startups fail because there was no real market need.

Here’s the lesson:
📌 Before you build, think.
📌 Before you pitch, validate.
📌 Before you scale, listen.

That’s how we create health innovations that are both sustainable and scalable.

🔥 And this is what we champion at Innovate Health Hub: Helping African health innovators Think, Build & Scale with purpose.

09/09/2025

AI in Healthcare: Why Strategy Beats Speed

According to the World Economic Forum, the following strategic steps should be taken to accelerate the integration of AI in healthcare:

✅ Strategy first – focus on data quality, workflows, and workforce readiness before scaling.
✅ Start small – pilot AI in low-risk settings, gather feedback, then expand.
✅ Engage stakeholders – involve clinicians, patients, and admins early.
✅ Think sustainability – ensure long-term infrastructure, ethics, and equitable access.

https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/03/ai-healthcare-strategy-speed/

08/09/2025

What Does “Scaling” Really Mean in Healthcare?

A solution that scales is one that doesn’t just work in a single clinic but can reach millions of people without losing quality or effectiveness.

For that to happen, healthcare innovations must be:
✅ Affordable – so cost isn’t a barrier.
✅ Adaptable – flexible enough to fit different contexts.
✅ Acceptable – trusted and embraced by the communities it serves.
✅ Sustainable – backed by strong systems and long-term financing.
✅ Evidence-based – supported by data that proves it works.
✅ Integrated – able to fit within existing healthcare structures.

💡 What do you think is the most overlooked factor when it comes to scaling health innovations?
https://innovatehealthhub.com/innovate-to-scale-in-healthcare-africas-quiet-revolution/