Seeing the impact that hackathons are having on the technology sector, healthcare providers are jumping on to the bandwagon with medical hackathons. The aim is to provide affordable and innovative healthcare solutions.

GE and Glocal Healthcare have partnered with Consortium for Affordable Medical Technologies (CAMTech) India, which is supported by USAID, Omidyar Network and BACCA Foundation, to conduct a hackathon called ‘Jugaad-a-thon’.

Jugaad-a-thon, billed as a first-of-its-kind project, was an attempt to bring clinicians, hospitals and technologists under one roof.

These stakeholders, in a two-day brainstorming session, tackled issues such as using medical technology innovatively for reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health. Talking to BusinessLine , Elizabeth Bailey, Director of CAMTech at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Center for Global Health, said neonatal asphyxia (wherein a baby does not get adequate oxygen, leading to various complications), postpartum haemorrhage and cervical cancer are problems commonly faced in emerging markets.

With the coming together of different stakeholders, this problem can be addressed, she said.

For example, Yeshwanth, a software developer, pitched for a simpler technology along with other vital sign monitors to tackle the problem of asphyxia resuscitation.

Prasid Mitra, another developer, is working on ways to reduce child mortality due to road collisions, and has developed a GPS technology that can control a vehicle’s brake automatically. These were among the 200 odd developers who pitched their solutions before a jury that included officials from GE, Narayana Health, CAMTech and others.

Further, they showcased working prototypes, and mapping them to their existing business models.

Some are likely to get support from GE in the form of mentorship or funding. GE officials said 30 engineers from their company worked with the budding innovators to take their ideas to the next stage.

GE Healthcare, which has partnered for the first time in an initiative of this kind, feels healthcare innovation for emerging markets needs a variety of solutions and an ecosystem of partners.

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