Rev-Med-Lab

Many individuals living in poverty, especially in remote areas of developing countries, encounter significant healthcare challenges. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 62% of deaths in these regions result from preventable diseases linked to the absence of adequately equipped medical facilities for essential tests and diagnoses. Medical laboratory diagnoses play a pivotal role in healthcare, comprising approximately 70% of all healthcare services, as per the WHO. However, in many developing nations, the absence of accessible and high-quality healthcare facilities in remote areas poses significant challenges to obtaining services, especially medical laboratory diagnostics.

Consider the experience of Ibrahim, a resident from a remote population who needed medical testing at the Ahmadu  University Teaching Hospital in Bauchi State, Nigeria. Ibrahim had to make multiple visits within a week, facing the stress and inconvenience of traveling and still not receiving timely results.

Imagine a scenario where individuals like Ibrahim can access their test results in their hometowns without the need for extensive travel or the complexities of transporting samples to distant healthcare facilities. Such a solution holds the potential to transform healthcare accessibility for those living in impoverished and remote regions.

DHR offer a solution (Rev-Med-Lab) that could bridge the gap, bring quality closer, revive and equip last-mile remote health facilities with adequate medical laboratory services.

Using a combination of digital (data management such as RedCap) and traditional mobility technology (bikes and cars), DHR's primary solution (Rev-Med-Lab) is the transportation of essential medical samples for various investigations and testing purposes, ranging from routine tests to advanced tests for diseases like tuberculosis, cancer, COVID-19, hormonal assays, and more. In addition, facilitate blood donor drives and deliveries using effective cold-chain technology, such as delivery boxes packed with ice packs or mobile solar-powered refrigerators.

Rev-Med-Lab is represented by two sub-solutions: eMedSample and SharedBlood.

• eMedSample Medical sample referral and logistics concepts, with a focus on addressing inaccessibility to quality medical laboratory services.
• SharedBlood is a blood or blood component-donor drive or delivery using an effective cold chain for blood transfusion.

DHR envision a scenario where individuals can have their samples collected locally and transported to the required facility. They can then receive their medical results securely through an encrypted online system or notifications through a messaging platform.

The solution is primarily designed to cater to patients and health facilities residing in rural areas who require urgent access to laboratory services for various medical purposes, including diagnostic testing and blood transfusions. Within this context, DHR's client base encompasses a diverse range of stakeholders, including patients themselves, last-mile healthcare facilities, hospital and clinic administrators, medical practitioners (doctors), and the dedicated personnel working in medical laboratories. Additionally, DHR's aim is to extend her services to collaborate with other organizations, such as health institutions and researchers.

Our strategic approach prioritizes targeting clients located in remote areas. In essence, our strategy centers on addressing the pressing healthcare needs of remote and underserved communities, building lasting relationships with healthcare providers, and ultimately contributing to enhanced healthcare accessibility in these regions.

Each of the communities is home to the founding team. The founding team has visited several primary health centers in the Nigerian states of Katsina and Bauchi in order to comprehend the limitations of those facilities from the viewpoints of both medical professionals and community members. The two solutions' designs were built on the foundation of this knowledge. The founding team started testing the solution (eMedSample) in Funtua Metropolis in Katsina State as a follow-up to our visits to the medical facilities and is currently preparing to pilot enrollment for both eMedSample and SharedBlood in Bauchi State.

Additionally, we are a team of medical laboratory scientists and biomedical engineers. As a result, we have the benefit of networking and having access to medical laboratory staff as well as regulatory organizations like the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) and other healthcare professionals.

To date, we've successfully transported 352 patient samples and 417 medical results from various healthcare facilities in Katsina State (Funtua Clinics, Himma Clinics, Khamec Hospital, and Comprehensive Health Centers Bakori), marking tangible progress in providing accessible medical laboratory services. 12 health centers in Bauchi State have agreed to participate in our next pilot phase, demonstrating increasing interest and potential expansion.

Our innovation has received recognition, including a 2nd Runner-Up position in the Hack the COVID-19 Hackathon (2020), a beneficiary/pitch winner in the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub "Build to Accelerate Programme" (2020), and being featured among the top 100 projects in the UN75 online SDGs contest (2021). Also, as finalists in the Global Innovation Challenge organized by Social Shifters (2021).

We've taken a significant step by officially registering our venture as "D' HEALTH RIDES SYNERGY NIG LIMITED" in December 2022, solidifying its legal status and paving the way for further growth.

DHR's reason for applying  to Solve is to create positive development outcomes by solving critical healthcare challenges in Nigeria. DHR has made significant achievements, as highlighted earlier. However, we recognized the following needs:

• to be a part of an impressive group of peers who serve as a reliable support system and source of inspiration and business development advice.
• to become a part of a strong network of impact-minded leaders from various sectors and industries, allowing access to insights into the global health ecosystem.
• gain access to business mentorship, coaching, and media publicity that will improve the solution's brand perception.
• receive access to funding through grants and investments, which will aid in tackling financial constraints.

The sustainable ideas include the following, which are replicable:

• increase the number of medical lab tests.
• community and remote bases.
• bolster last-mile health services.
• employ customary mobile supply chains and logistics.
• facilitating the management of the laboratory information
• concept of telemedicine.
• a viable business strategy.
• encourage validation, quality assurance, and increased diagnostic efficacy.
• contribute to research and development.

Our innovation is designed to create positive development outcomes by addressing critical healthcare challenges. To achieve sustainable change, we've committed our personal funds and pursued grant opportunities. We've also working on establishing partnerships with regulatory bodies like the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN). These actions set the foundation for success by ensuring compliance with industry standards.

In terms of activities, our proactive approach has led us to participate in esteemed programs such as the MIT-Solve competition and the SDSN Investment Readiness Programme. Currently, we're piloting our innovative solutions, eMedSample and SharedBlood, and actively engaging with various healthcare facilities to enroll clients. We're also in the process of establishing partnerships with MLSCN, state, and federal health ministries. Collaboratively, we aim to screen and onboard service providers to enhance the quality and reliability of our services.

Our activities are expected to yield significant outputs. These include a well-trained and risk-aware workforce, a robust and reliable client base that includes both service providers and consumers, and the implementation of proficiency testing measures.

In the short term, we anticipate several positive outcomes. These include the availability of dependable medical laboratory testing facilities and enhancements in medical testing. These outcomes align with our broader goal of improving healthcare access and quality.

Looking ahead to the long term, we envision a range of transformative outcomes. These include a healthier environment, increased employment opportunities, greater convenience for patients and healthcare facilities, improved access to medical information, and heightened trust in medical laboratory services and reports. Furthermore, our initiative will provide valuable data for public health and epidemiological decision-making in Africa. Ultimately, our goal is to make a substantial impact. We aim to empower last-mile healthcare providers, facilitate access to high-quality medical laboratory services, and stimulate healthy competition among service providers. This collective impact will contribute to a more accessible, reliable, and effective healthcare system in our region.

To date, we've successfully transported 1002 patient samples from various healthcare facilities in Katsina State (Funtua Clinics, Himma Clinics, Khamec Hospital, and Comprehensive Health Centers Bakori), marking tangible progress in providing accessible medical laboratory services. Two health facilities (Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital) serve as our reference laboratories. Seventeen health centers in Bauchi State have agreed to participate in our next pilot phase, demonstrating increasing interest and potential expansion.

Our innovation has received recognition, including a 2nd Runner-Up position in the Hack the COVID-19 Hackathon (2020), beneficiary/pitch winner in the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub "Build to Accelerate Programme" (2020), and being featured among the top 100 projects in the UN75 online SDGs contest (2021). We were also finalists in the Global Innovation Challenge organized by Social Shifters (2021).

We've taken a significant step by officially registering our venture as "D' HEALTH RIDES SYNERGY NIG LIMITED" in December 2022, solidifying its legal status and paving the way for further growth.

Additionally, as a co-founder, Shamsuddeen played a key role as a consultant Sample Transport Supervisor for Akesis Health Nigeria, contributing to the National Integrated Sample Referral Network (NiSRN) under USAID for the Global Health Supply Chain Program–Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) project. Abdulmalik worked with one of the reference laboratories. This experience underscores our team's expertise and dedication to healthcare logistics. These achievements and milestones reflect our commitment to providing accessible and high-quality medical laboratory services, positioning us for continued growth and impact.

The success of our initiative is measured by its impact on two key SDG-3 indicators: 3.8.1, which pertains to the enhancement of essential health service coverage, and 3.d.1, which involves strengthening early warning, risk reduction, and management of health risks in developing countries. This alignment also contributes to the sustainability of SDG-9, specifically target 9.5, which aims to improve technological capabilities in industries and foster global partnerships. Our evaluation methodology will include ongoing weekly, monthly, and yearly data monitoring and assessment. We will utilize performance metrics such as the number of samples successfully delivered, the volume of investigations and tests conducted, and the count of cases addressed. These metrics will provide insights into the effectiveness and reach of our innovation in advancing healthcare and supporting the achievement of these important sustainable development goals.

The basic indicator of enrolment for service providers is meeting the ISO 15189 standards. The basic indicator of the service consumer is accreditation by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) or Ministry of Health.

Our Key Performance Indicators include;

• Turnaround Time
• Vehicle-Break down
• Conversion rate (clients)
• Lead time
• Distance covered.
• Number of Donors
• Patient retainment clients
• Increase in client IGR Half-life and Commentaries

We leverage transit (bikes and cars), cold-chain (refrigerant boxes), RedCap (for laboratory management information), and audio-visuals (calls, messages, social media, e.g., WhatsApp).

We are aspiring to develop a tele-platform (website/app) that permits access to the services offered and to develop a solar-powered refrigerant to facilitate cold-chain services.

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The solutions were created using the information gathered from community members and healthcare professionals. Community health professionals who come from a variety of target communities make up the part-time staff at our startup.

In the future, we intend to mobilize team members and employees based in the affected regions. Additionally, they'll get the training they need in phlebotomy, sample transportation conditions, mechanical services for transit agents, communications, information management, and GPS operation.

According to the Nigeria Health Facility Register of the Federal Ministry of Health in 2019, Nigeria has a complex health system with a total of 29,785 public HFs which are distributed into various categories as primary (28,448), secondary (1,232), and Tertiary (105) level. In addition to the public HF are 10,836 private and faith-based hospitals. Top-down analysis done for Katsina State (9 million people) shows an estimated SAM of 1.25 million clients/patients annually. Denovo Health Rides is targeting a 10% Share of the Market (SOM) equivalent to $312,500 at a minimum charge of $2.5 per sample for service delivered/offered.

Through agreements with partners or the government, we charge for our services at the minimum cost indicated above. 

Building several carefully placed centers will increase our service using the distribution paradigm. Based on key performance indicators (distance, turnaround time, number of samples or pints of blood, logistics information services, logistics additional services, and supplementary additional services), the cost of the service is calculated using a cost-per-kilometer analysis.

Our innovation follows a hybrid business model, where we charge for the services, we provide through agreements with partners. This model ensures financial sustainability while allowing flexibility for potential partnerships.

Our scaling approach involves:

• Strategic Centres - We plan to build strategically placed service centers to facilitate the distribution of our services. By focusing on key performance indicators such as distance, turnaround time, and the number of samples or pints of blood transported, we calculate the cost of our service using a cost-per-kilometer analysis. This approach helps us maintain operational efficiency while expanding our reach.
• Technology Integration - We recognize the importance of technology in healthcare logistics. To streamline our operations, we would use RedCap for data management and plan to develop a mobile app or website. This technology will connect patients and remote health facilities with digital medical records, improving service efficiency and accessibility.
• Additional Solutions - In addition to our core services, we would offer complementary solutions such as SafeSampTransport (SST), MedLabConsult (MLC), and MedLabStock (MLS). These solutions enhance our service efficiency and contribute to our financial sustainability.

Based on our evidence-based presence in Katsina and Bauchi State. Our projected reach over the next five years is ambitious. We anticipate serving approximately 1.25 million people in Katsina State and 600,000 people in Bauchi State, with a specific focus on rural health centers. Furthermore, we plan to expand our solution to other Nigerian states.

To generate critical proof points for our path to scale, we have several strategies in place:

1. Quality Assurance - We would enroll only service providers who meet quality assessment and accreditation standards. This enhances the credibility of our services.
2. Founder's Expertise - Leveraging the founder's industry knowledge and understanding of patient needs is a persuasive factor in convincing healthcare facilities to utilize our services.
3. Strategic Collection Points (Hubs) - Building collection points strategically enhances our logistical capabilities and supports our scaling efforts. These hubs will act as central points for sample and data management.
4. Partnerships - We aim to establish strong relationships with healthcare facilities and collaborate with key organizations such as the Ministry of Health, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and various medical professional bodies, including the MLSCN, Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), Community Health Practitioner Body, Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), and Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON). These partnerships will provide essential support and validation for our services.

In conclusion, we believe that the DHR innovation, with MIT Solve's and network's support, can bring accessible and reliable healthcare logistics to millions of people in Nigeria and beyond.