The battle against hypothermia can be a matter of life and death, especially for premature and low birthweight children in rural settings. But amidst the frost, a startup Neohealth Innovations has emerged as a beacon of hope for newborn babies suffering from hypothermia. Driven by a deep passion for saving the lives of newborn babies, Neohealth Innovations has embarked on an impactful journey to develop groundbreaking solutions that is combating hypothermia in infants. This is their relentless pursuit to save children from the bitter grip of hypothermia, one life at a time.
Hypothermia is a challenging healthcare problem globally, not only in cold areas but also in warm and limited-resource areas. For instance in Africa, hypothermia results in 1.1 million mortalities a year. Various efforts have been put in play to increase the chances of survival for newborn and premature babies which to some extent it is evident to see the number of premature babies surviving despite the odds. However, challenges still exist in areas with limited resources and minimum healthcare facilities. Neohealth through its local radiant warmer is seeking to increase the chances of survival for newborn and premature babies in the most vulnerable areas ie villages.
The Local Infant Radiant Warmer (LIRA) is a durable, affordable, and easy-to-use medical device, targeting newborn babies who cannot produce enough body heat to sustain themselves. The radiant warmer provides the baby with enough warmth to sustain them through an incorporated heater bulb. Motivated by the rising mortality rates in limited resources areas, LIRA is designed to accommodate the difficult conditions in such areas. For instance, the device incorporates a backup battery that can sustain up to eight (08) hours, and easy-to-use layman technology that allows healthcare workers to manage, maintain and fix whenever needed.
Currently, the first prototype of the LIRA device is being developed with support from makerspaces Bongotech and Robotech. Although the device has not yet entered the market, it has received lots of positive feedback from different healthcare practitioners. The most common one is that LIRA is a robust device of great need in rural settings. In contrast, healthcare facilities have limited access to devices that accommodate the brutal and harsh conditions in their areas. Along with Neohealth’s aspiration to become a resilient producer of neonatal care devices in Africa, LIRA is a stepping stone to seeing their vision through and at the same time-saving lives of many newborn babies in Africa.
Lastly, Neohealth is being incubated by the Product Development Partnership (PDP), where it is leveraging the state-of-the-art equipment, technical and financial support, mentorship, and coaching that is being provided and offered by the PDP consortium. By leveraging the rich resources found in the consortium, Neohealth is realizing its idea to create a local radiant warmer that will accommodate the local settings. The diverse training they are receiving is equipping Neohealth with the necessary technical skills to see through their idea and business to successful commercialization. To watch Neohealth’s incredible journey, click this link: https://youtu.be/-mLSBYZAayc
Photo Credit: Photo by Christian Bowen on Unsplash
Story first published on: 7th August 2023
