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Mobile phones continue to push health innovation in Africa, Asia
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Be very skeptical about any "healthcare" projects fielded by philanthropies in 3rd world countries, especially those supporting First World corporate services and projects without any knowledge about healthcare planning and delivery or public health. As the recent Forbes article about the Gates' Foundation's HIV/AIDS fiasco in India shows, when a company or business model has a hammer, everything looks like a nail, from MBA's with absolutely no background in public health, to companies and products who claim to be providing "healthcare services" in 3rd world countries. The obvious first question is, "Are health information exchanges in Mozambique and Uganda deploying all kinds of new technology their first healthcare financing and delivery PRIORITY? With their incredibly high morbidity and mortality infant mortality rates, unnecessary deaths from lack of medical care for which rural people must walk days to access, epidemics of morbidity from preventable diseases caused by environmental conditions like parasites and contaminated water? Did the philanthropy even ask about the countries' capacity to continue the project when the funding runs out? Or is this just another full-employment, "emerging markets" project for techies, business types, and corporate marketers without a clue about public health OR "healthcare innovation"?
Great point, Anne. So much well-intentioned money has been thrown down rat holes in developing countries, winding up in the hands of a corrupt regime or turning off those the money was intended to help by taking a "we know better" attitude without taking the time to understand local conditions, cultures and traditions.
