The impact Movement Health Foundation has on digital health developers.
Jhony López, a Colombian developer, and Daniel Marfo, from Ghana, have partnered with this foundation. Here, they share their experiences of how their mindsets changed to tackle significant health challenges.
Working with Movement Health Foundation has provided valuable lessons to digital developers in the fields of health and technology. This non-profit organization works to transform healthcare systems by strengthening public policies and developing innovative, digital, and scalable solutions in collaboration with governments, health leaders, accelerators, and private and tertiary sectors.
Jhony López, co-founder of Delfos Nodriza, recounts that as an engineer and entrepreneur, he found an opportunity with this foundation to address large-scale problems and positively impact society.
One of the most important lessons from this experience is the ability to solve global-scale problems. Often, digital developers focus on small and limited opportunities, losing sight of their potential to address broader and more significant challenges. Working with Movement Health allowed López to broaden his vision and understand that his skills could be used to address large-scale issues, such as the lack of access to health programs in vulnerable populations.
"Previously, as a research entrepreneur, I used to think in terms of small opportunities. However, the Movement Health Foundation presented us with a major challenge: a country (Colombia) with 50 million people, where only around 10% of the population is enrolled in cardiovascular risk, diabetes, and hypertension programs. The opportunity presented by the Foundation also planted a mental flag for me that said, 'Your capabilities can be used to solve global-scale problems.”
Daniel Marfo, co-founder of RX Health Info Systems, agrees. He took an existing solution, the National Electronic Pharmacy Platform, to a new level. "When we started partnering with Movement Health Foundation a year ago, our vision for what the National Electronic Pharmacy Platform could be was limited to ensuring that prescriptions move from hospitals to community pharmacies. However, working with this organization and the in-country advisors they assembled completely transformed our thinking. We looked at a simple solution already scalable and found ways to triple its value without necessarily building something new. That change in ways of thinking, and our ability to make this happen, have been truly transformative for us."
Another key lesson is the importance of teamwork. "We must do this together. By working together, we can connect researchers, foundations, and entrepreneurs who can contribute to this change," says López.
Indeed, developing solutions to improve treatment adherence in cardiovascular risk populations in municipalities like Baranoa, Atlántico, Colombia, and six others in Putumayo, Colombia, would not have been possible without the collaboration of local researchers, academic institutions and support from organizations like Movement Health.
Furthermore, the experience with Movement Health demonstrated the importance of innovative thinking. By implementing technologies such as health data capture without the Internet and using artificial intelligence algorithms, early disease detection and prioritization of care for those most in need were possible.
For López, one area that requires innovation is funding: "How to secure impact investment to make these projects sustainable is an ongoing conversation that needs to happen daily because if we don't ensure sustainability, it will be difficult. We need to innovate in how we attract funds for health and motivate collaboration."
Working with the Movement Health Foundation has inspired digital developers to think big, work as a team, and apply innovative technologies to address public health challenges. This experience shows that technology can be a powerful tool for making a positive impact on society, especially for those most in need.
Therefore, Jhony concludes with a message to entrepreneurs in Latin America. "I want to tell them that innovation is possible, making an impact is possible when foundations like the Health Movement change this mindset. That's why I want to thank this Foundation for challenging us and showing that we can create global solutions, but above all, that we can impact the people who need it most."
Click here https://movement-health.org to learn more about Movement Health Foundation.