Significantly more people in the developing world have access to mobile phones than to hospital beds. Mobile phone is accessible technology with high potential for creative solutions to some of the most important global health issues like AIDS and Tuberculosis (TB). mHealth can contribute to the accessibility of health, diagnostic and tracking of diseases, gathering data and training of medical staff.

Currently it’s central focus is applications and communication models like Text to Change (SMS based quiz). These kinds of initiatives are very accessible, low cost and simple in usage – addressing the needs of the end users.

But mHealth has also another area that is not yet well known and developed, but that is already being explored – hardware technology for mHealth. This field is so young, that there is not yet a name for its developments. At OMG we call them add-ons, some sources call them clip-ons, but they all stand for devices that can be connected to your phone to extend its capacities.

One example is NETRA (Near-Eye Tool for Refractive Assessment) developed by the MIT Media Lab. It is a simple and affordable device (which can currently be produced for less than US$2) that can diagnose several eye conditions, replacing heavy and expensive equipment and making eye diagnostic technology accessible to people in developing countries.

Mobile phones, especially smart phones, are a combination of important features that even a computer can’t match - audio visual in/out put, text input, GPS and even internet. Although one can argue that a phone with all of these features isn’t that accessible, it should be taken to account that developments in the mobile phone industry alongside developments of add-on technology could make the mobile phone a replacement of essential and now expensive lab-equipment.

There are already inventions that are set to become mind-blowing breakthrough in public health and that require the phone to be equipped with just a simple camera for it to become a microscope that can detect diseases like malaria.

mHealth article at OMG:

http://www.ourmobilegeneration.org/goals/2-add-on-technology

NETRA:

http://www.media.mit.edu/press/netra/
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2010/itw-eyes.html

CellScope:

Video_http://vimeo.com/14192258

Today I took a closer look at the presentations put together for the 6 mobile phone applications developed for Kenya by the d.school students this year. For me 2 of the solutions stood out:

PillCheck (Kifaa cha Tenbe): a mobile application to help people find information on the availability and pricing of malaria drugs quickly. I like this solution because it tackles an essential need, the PSS is worked out well and the idea is presented very effectively using the 'prezi' web tool:

M-MAJI: a system that allows people to identify clean water sources in their community. I also think the presentation effectively demonstrates the need for the service and how the PSS works, although as a traditional PDF it is a bit less dynamic than the above presentation:

Click here to download:

m-maji_slides.pdf (15.48 MB)

(download)

Click here to download:

m-maji_slides.pdf (15.48 MB)

Good work guys!!! Hope I can come up with an idea as good as these ones!