Pomelow Inc's Floating Hospital

Floating hospital that provides advanced healthcare, nutritious food and clean water solutions to Indonesia's vulnerable island populations.

Our team aims to solve poor Health, Sanitation and Hygiene outcomes in rural Indonesia. 

Indonesia faces a number of health problems, including high rates of infectious diseases such as malaria and dengue fever, as well as non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Access to healthcare is also a significant issue, particularly in rural areas, where there is a substantial shortage of healthcare professionals, with only ~1 doctor available per 10,000 people. Additionally, there is a lack of funding for health services, and many people are unable to afford the cost of healthcare. Finally, lifestyle factors including poor diet, due to lack of access to nutritious food at a reasonable price, means that non-communicable diseases relating to lifestyle continue to be paramount. Specifically, out of the 10 most common causes of death in Indonesia, 8 relate to poor lifestyle factors. Although the government has been trying to improve the healthcare system, the progress is still slow and the problem remains significant.

Sanitation and hygiene in Indonesia is also a significant issue, with many people lacking access to basic sanitation facilities such as clean water. This can lead to the spread of diseases, which is a leading cause of death. Additionally, poor sanitation and lack of proper waste management can cause environmental problems such as water pollution and air pollution. Unsafe abortions due to unhygiene procedures is also a major problem, with 79% of bortions undertaken in Indonesia right now are categorised as unsafe, causing 16-30% of maternal deaths. Menstrual hygiene is also poor, with 41% of women in rural areas changed absorbent materials as often as is recommended. The government of Indonesia has implemented various programs and initiatives to improve sanitation, but progress has been slow and much more needs to be done to address the problem.

Our solution is a floating hospital that travels around the rural islands of Indonesia supplying three groups of services in the following categories:

1. Healthcare

Healthcare refers to a broad range of health services that will be provided to vulnerable populations, including GP services, primary and advanced medical procedures (such as surgery), outpatient services, a pharmacy, dental checks and treatment, and eye checks and treatment. Abortion services will also be emphasised, with both a registered doctor and counsellor being available on board to conduct abortions in line with government regulations.

At the same time, medicine, first aid equipment, and menstrual products will also be available to those who need it. Sanitary items will include pads and period underwear.

2. Nutritious food
Non-perishable foods that are high in protein, as well as multivitamins, will be carried on board for those who are in need and attend hospital facilities for assistance. Foods available will primarily be canned foods, including canned fish, beans, tomatoes, corn, beetroot and coconut milk. Multivitamin tablets will also be available to give an additional boost to patients’ diets. 

3. Clean water

Our floating hospital will also provide transportable water purification methods. Both water purification tablets, as well as water purification straws (‘LifeStraw’, a straw that filters water so it can become drinkable, created by the company LifeStraw and led by CEO Alison Hill), will be provided to patients, and distributed according to preference.

Finally, education and training will be provided to all patients who access the hospital, in hopes that they will become more aware of important health practices. 

Our solution aims to have a floating hospital dock at an island for 6~8 weeks, and return to the island at least twice a year to check up on residents. This is based on calculations for operating costs (including fuel costs), the restocking of supplies, and the breaks necessary for personnel on the boat. 

Our solution serves those in rural Indonesian islands - specifically, the regions of Papua, Weset Papua, Maluku and North Maluku. Our solution targets those that require help the most - and not necessarily those that are most easy to address. Life in rural Indonesia can be challenging in terms of sanitation, hygiene, and health. Access to clean water, proper sanitation facilities, and basic hygiene practices can be limited, leading to higher rates of waterborne illnesses and infectious diseases. Many rural communities do not have access to proper sewage systems, and open defecation is common. This can contaminate water sources and lead to the spread of diseases. Furthermore, limited access to healthcare and lack of education about health and hygiene can exacerbate the situation. Our solution will address these issues, and improve life for those in rural indonesia, as they will be equipped with both the resources and education neccesary to improve their health outcomes. 

Our team is based at the University of New South Wales in Australia, but we are diverse, with participants from various university disciplines coming together to develop our solution. Specifically, the degrees of our team span across Commerce, Science, Law, Exercise Physiology and Interior Architecture, and each member brings different skills in research, analysis, solution and strategy generation, design. Our different strengths have allowed us to come together and conduct rigorous and extensive research into the necessity and feasibility of our floating hospital in Indonesia’s rural islands. 

Additionally, we had the opportunity to pitch and discuss our solution with industry professionals who have experience consulting with not-for-profit organisations. In our discussions, we gained more perspective on the viability of implementation and calculations of operation costs, and following this we revised our solution multiple times and are now certain of its feasibility.

To better understand the needs of our targeted population, we examined the research available surrounding current healthcare, nutritional and water intake. Our research methods involved databases such as google scholar, ScienceDirect and JSTOR; whilst also using data provided by governmental organizations. Examples of collated data would address the percentage of rural individuals against the total Indonesian population, those who are impacted by disease[s] due to poor daily dietary requirements/water intake and lastly, the current implications available to combat such issues.

Our solution is innovative because it combines currently existing technologies to tackle multiple issues affecting rural Indonesians simultaneously, reflecting a new process for solving problems in rural Indonesia. No services in Indonesia currently exist that aim to tackle health issues, abortion complications, lack of nutritious food and clean water through one medium, but our proposed floating hospital will introduce a new process for healthcare that will revolutionise how the rural islands of Indonesia approach healthcare and lifestyle.

Boat

A medical boat can be used to provide healthcare services to people living in remote, rural areas of Indonesia that are difficult to access by land. The boat can be equipped with medical equipment and staffed by healthcare professionals, allowing them to travel to different villages and islands to provide medical consultations, check-ups, and treatments. This can greatly improve the availability and quality of healthcare for people living in these areas, who may otherwise have limited access to medical services.

Period underwear

Period underwear can be useful for those in rural Indonesia as it provides a discreet and reliable method for managing menstrual flow. Unlike traditional methods such as reusable cloth pads or tampons, which can be difficult to clean and maintain in areas with limited access to water and sanitation, period underwear can be easily washed and reused. Additionally, they are discreet, so they can be worn without fear of social stigma or shame associated with menstruation. They can also be a cost-effective solution for those who may not have access to or cannot afford disposable menstrual products.

LifeStraws 

LifeStraws are portable water filtration devices that can be used to remove bacteria, parasites, and other contaminants from water sources. In rural areas of Indonesia, where access to clean drinking water is often limited, LifeStraws can be a valuable tool for preventing waterborne illnesses and improving overall health. They can be used to filter water from rivers, lakes, and other natural sources, making it safe to drink. Additionally, LifeStraws are lightweight and easy to use, making them a practical solution for individuals and families in remote communities. 

Our solution aims to serve approximately 100,000 individuals within our first year of launching, with a linear increase to 250,000 individuals within our second year. The increase is due to finalisation of the establishment of our floating hospital hence, we expect a greater number of individuals to approach our floating hospital and be impacted by our service consistently throughout our second year and onwards.

We currently are faced with barriers of initially implementing our floating hospital service. Outsourcing manufacturers, hiring personnel, receiving adequate supply of medical equipment and canned goods and spreading awareness of our service to the targeted populations are current areas of significant focus. However, these are necessities to ensure our service is proficiently operating upon launch. 

Additionally, there may be a barrier to acceptance of these new services in the area - it may take some time before locals are willing to approach the floating hospital for assistance, or they may not implement the changes necessary to improve their health. This may be mitigated, however, through hiring locals who are interested in our project.

Our business model involves several components. The funding for the program is derived from donations, fundraising, and partnerships with corporations. Funding from public is collected in the form of purchasing specific items, such as period underwear, in addition to traditional donations. Partnerships with corporations enable businesses to demonstrate corporate, and social responsibility while creating a significant impact to those who need it most. These fundraising efforts will be paired with a marketing campaign which involves using social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to share information about the organization's mission, upcoming events, and success stories. This is paired with physical marketing in selected locations. 

We aspire to achieve financial sustainability via four main revenue streams (direct donation and non-donation based) driven primarily by an aggressive marketing strategy. Our first stream (direct donation) is our Sponsor Someone in Need’ initiative, where individuals are able to donate (either one-time or monthly) to sponsor a vulnerable individual. Donations can range from small ($10-$60) to large gifts ($60+) which can provide a variety of products to individuals and thus reduce the financial burden on our organisation. Our second initiative (non-direct donation) is through event fundraising with corporate partners, where we aim to raise funds through hosting culturally immersive events for the sponsor, inclusive of food, art, music and shows. Furthermore, our third initiative ‘Matching Gifts’ is where participating corporations will double the donation amounts of their employees towards our cause, (ie: an employee donates $50, then the corporation will donate $100). Lastly, we seek to apply to general revenue streams such as government grants for NPO work.

To support the feasibility of these revenue streams, we seek to employ a strong marketing strategy which seeks to optimise our digital and physical reach, especially in the main cities of Indonesia and countries such as Australia and New Zealand who have a large amount of Indonesian population. By utilising platforms such as Facebook, we can connect with middle-class individuals (>30 years old) who have high disposable income, whilst our physical marketing stalls opt for a more interpersonal approach. 

Overall, a brief 3-year outlook on our organisation’s projected revenue considering these four streams shows that we will have around $3m USD, $6m USD and $7m USD in year 1, 2 and 3 respectively. We expect costs as a percentage of revenue to be 95% in year 1, but expect it to drop to approximately 80% in the following years as the only large capital expenditure is in year 1.