TINY HEARTS TECHNOLOGY

Solution Name:

TINY HEARTS TECHNOLOGY

One-line solution summary:

Production and deploying of the Crib A’glow Solar Phototherapy Units for treating Jaundice in newborn babies in rural and sub urban areas.

Pitch your solution.

Globally, an estimated 6 million babies do not receive treatment for neonatal jaundice because they lack access to effective phototherapy devices. The result of this condition when not treated is hearing loss, mental retardation, cerebral palsy or death in newborns.

We produce the Crib A’glow Units - a solar powered portable phototherapy crib for the treatment of neonatal jaundice in thriving communities where access to stable electricity and good healthcare delivery is poor.

The Crib A’glow Unit, if deployed globally, would contribute to at least 8% of reduction in avoidable infant deaths as a result of non-communicable conditions like neonatal jaundice.

Film your elevator pitch.

What specific problem are you solving?

In 2015, my son was diagnosed with severe neonatal jaundice and his condition worsened because of inaccessible phototherapy units in the hospitals around. Neonatal jaundice is the most common clinical problem in newborns, affecting over 60% of term babies and 80% of preterm babies.

When neonatal jaundice is not treated quickly, it causes brain damage when severe leading to neurological handicap, mental retardation, hearing loss, cerebral palsy and early death of affected infants.

According the World Health Organization, globally, an estimated 6 million babies do not receive treatment for neonatal jaundice because they lack access to effective phototherapy devices. While neonatal jaundice is not much of a problem in America and other developed countries, a  large percentage of affected babies are in African and Asian communities where there is very poor or no access to electricity and poor knowledge about the condition among mothers.

In Nigeria for example, available statistics also shows that 1 newborn baby in every 22 dies as a result of jaundice. A situation which experts say has not changed in over a decade. 

What is your solution?

We produce and deploy the “Crib A’glow” unit - a solar powered portable phototherapy crib for the treatment of newborn jaundice. We deploy these units to hospitals and health centers in nondescript suburban and rural communities where access to stable electricity and access to good healthcare delivery is poor.  The Crib A’glow Units have the required LEDs of (465-475nm), lower temperature compared to most pre-existing phototherapy units, ruling out dehydration, skin burn and fever in the babies.

Currently being used in more than 70 hospitals in Nigeria, the Crib A’glow is designed for use in homes, making it the first of its kind.

Preexisting phototherapy devices are expensive, bulky and are not effective where electricity is absent. The Crib A’glow Solar Unit is designed to solve the problem of COST, ACCESS AND ELECTRICITY with the required standard of phototherapy. The efficiency of the Crib A'glow Unit reduces the long stay on hospital admission and the high number of Exchange Blood Transfusions (EBTs) in these babies. 

Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?

In Nigeria, UNICEF records 7 million births yearly with over 55% of them having jaundice between their birth time and 48 hours after yet access to phototherapy treatment is poor. In West African, only 35% of hospitals have effective phototherapy units in their Neonatal Wards. These few are mostly dependent on grid electricity and are more expensive, leaving babies in rural and semi urban areas left out of this crucial need. 

The Crib A’glow Unit is deployed to public and private hospitals, Primary and Community Health Centers and homes for the treatment of newborn jaundice. We also engage Community Health Workers and Traditional Birth Attendants in the area of Neonatal Jaundice and the need for immediate treatment, and proper phototherapy rather than local and unsafe herbs that they use in the communities.

The impact of our solution on these lives is that it will help babies recover from jaundice regardless of where they are instead of suffering from neurological damage and death. New mothers will be able notice signs and symptoms of neonatal jaundice and report early to the nearest hospital. Mothers can recover faster from delivery stress while bonding with their newborn during phototherapy (home use). 

Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Explain how the problem, your solution, and your solution’s target population relate to the Challenge and your selected dimension.

Each year, 1.16 million babies die yearly in Sub Saharan Africa. 

The Crib A’glow Unit innovation is a solution to severe neonatal jaundice, a common condition that could make babies suffer neurological damage or death. It is produced deployed to health facilities in rural and peri urban areas for the treatment of neonatal jaundice.

Our target beneficiaries are the newborns in rural and peri urban communities in Sub Saharan Africa. The goal is to provide every jaundiced baby effective phototherapy treatment to prevent avoidable infant death. 

Who is the primary delegate for your solution?

Virtue Oboro, Founder

What is your solution’s stage of development?

In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?