What is the name of your organization?
doctHERs
What is the name of your solution?
Where AI Meets AMR
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
AI-enabled EVA promotes the use of authentic, effective antibiotics and reduces the prevalence of community-based Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Karachi, Pakistan
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
PAK
What type of organization is your solution team?
Hybrid of for-profit and nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
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What specific problem are you solving?
The WHO estimates that between 40% to 50% of medicines sold in Pakistan are counterfeit, impacting over 240 million lives. This problem is particularly acute in rural areas of Pakistan, where there is a lack of pharmacovigilance and governmental regulation, a lack of qualified pharmacists and a lack of customers who are familiar with the packaging or formulation of authentic medicines. Globally speaking, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 10.5% of medicines worldwide are substandard or falsified, with between 9% to 41% prevalence in LMICs.
The widespread prevalence of counterfeit antibiotics has led to the rise of (multi) drug-resistant microbes, especially in low-resource, flood-affected communities where the inappropriate use of antibiotics, including self-medication, is rampant.
References:
Khan, A., et al. (2023). Quality assessment of oral antibiotics in Karachi, Pakistan: High prevalence of substandard formulations. Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation)
Atif, M., et al. (2021). Antibiotic resistance in Pakistan: a systematic review of the past decade. BMC Infectious Diseases, 21, 244. BMC.
Zafar, S. N., et al. (2016). Self-Medication with Antibiotics among People Dwelling in Rural Areas of Sindh. Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research, 10(5), OC08–OC1
What is your solution?
EVA consists of 3 key components which seek to a) promote the appropriate use of effective antibiotics, b) reduce the incidence and prevalence of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and (iii) subsequently reduce the risk of epidemics in flood-impacted, low-resource communities:
(i) Community Health Workers (CHWs called ‘Guddi Bajis’ or ‘Good Sisters’) serve as Last-Mile Retailers (LMRs). These CHWs conduct Home Health Visits and interactive town halls to raise community awareness of infectious diseases and the appropriate use of antibiotics. They also use AI-powered telemedicine and digital diagnostics to connect their communities to qualified doctors, therapists and pharmacists who prescribe and promote the appropriate use of authentic, effective antibiotics.
(ii) Last-Mile Distributors (called ‘Guddoo Bhais’ or ‘Good Brothers’) pick up pharmaceutical inventory from authorized distributors located in large towns and cities and then distribute this inventory to village or slum-based Guddi Bajis.
(iii) EVA includes an inventory tracking and management system that features AI-enabled tracing technology commonly used by logistics companies (e.g. FedEx). The entire value chain is digitalized and antibiotics are traceable from the manufacturer to a remote rural village-based patient-beneficiary. GBs facilitate access to a smartphone mobile application in case beneficiaries don’t have access
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Our solution serves over 120 million women-and-girls in Pakistan who lack timely-access to essential health information and quality, compassionate healthcare (including access to authentic, effective antibiotics). We focus on women-and-girls for the following reasons:
● Limited awareness of preventable health conditions and limited access to information regarding (geolocatable) areas at high-risk of epidemics associated with communicable-diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, dengue, malaria and hepatitis A/E
● Cultural restrictions on consulting male-physicians (who are the vast majority of practicing HCPs in Pakistan), leading to deferment-of-care and adverse health-outcomes
● Restricted Mobility due to a lack of safe transportation and socio-cultural norms
● Lack of agency, with 48% of women having no say in their health matters
● Limited financial resources, with most women lacking socio-economic opportunities, digital financial inclusion and financial autonomy
Our solution creates demand for authentic, effective antibiotics by raising awareness of high-risk infectious-diseases and highlighting the prevalence of counterfeit-medicines in the target areas. Our AI-enabled solution also supplies (delivers) high-quality-healthcare (including effective antibiotics). In doing so, it is promoting the effective use of antibiotics, reducing the incidence and prevalence of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). Improving health outcomes and expanding rural market access for ethical manufacturers.
