Healthtech spotlight: Maternova.net

Submitted by Chloe Feinberg on September 16, 2009 - 10:21am

I spend a lot of time looking, searching, emailing, and asking for information on low-cost, health technologies designed for use in resource-poor settings. Though I mainly focus on health diagnostics for infectious diseases, I make it a point to try and find as many solutions in as many different health areas as possible, in hopes that we will be able to incorporate them into Ashoka’s Healthcare for All work. It is no surprise, then, that I was overjoyed and inspired when I stumbled upon the http://maternova.net website. Maternova is a “web-based media channel with a laser sharp focus on maternal/neonatal health in low-resource settings”. Laser sharp focus indeed! Founded by Meg Wirth, a public health expert with a focus on maternal and child health and social venture capital for financing global health, the site compiles innovative tools to save mothers and to save infants, based on whether or not they are on the market or currently in development. There is also a section for innovation in structure and systems (such as the vaccine refrigerator shown in the picture above). When I spoke with Ms. Wirth earlier this summer it was obvious she has a great vision for the site. Just check out their plan to use crowd sourcing to map maternal health clinics, connect professionals, accelerate innovation, and be a space to provide additional resources to us all.

Some of my favorites from her sight are the Haemoglobin Colour Scale for quickly detecting anemia and the LifeWrap which is a neoprene suite to wrap around women and prevent obstetric hemorrhage. I’m already hooked!

This post contributed by Chloe Feinberg, from Ashoka's Healthcare for All Initiative.
Photo credit: http://maternova.net/tools/to-save-infants/on-the-market/