What is the name of your organization?
World Telehealth Initiative
What is the name of your solution?
World Telehealth Initiative
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Leveraging a corps of medical experts and two powerful technologies to upskill healthcare workers and solve global health inequity.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Goleta, CA, USA
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
United States
What type of organization is your solution team?
Nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
4.5 billion people, more than half the world’s population, lack access to essential health services, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). 3.6 million receive no healthcare, and 5 million receive substandard healthcare (Lancet). Between 5.7 and 8.4 million deaths are attributed to poor quality care annually in LMICs (WHO). Nigeria has one of the highest under-five mortality rates globally, primarily due to preventable and treatable conditions. In Kenya, 53 million people rely on just 41 nephrologists. In Haiti, maternal mortality rates are among the highest in the Western Hemisphere, yet many women are never tested for life-threatening conditions during pregnancy.
Foundational to this crisis, is a shortage of healthcare providers, which is compounded by a lack of advanced training opportunities for clinicians in under-resourced settings, limiting their ability to diagnose and treat complex conditions. Too often, healthcare workers must leave their home countries to gain further expertise, contributing to brain drain and deepening the healthcare gap.
By harnessing technology to bring medical specialists and advanced training to vulnerable communities, World Telehealth Initiative (WTI) has developed a solution to truly transform global healthcare for the underserved.
What is your solution?
WTI’s solution leverages two synergistic technologies to build the capacity of low-resource health systems, upskill providers and improve quality healthcare access worldwide in an economical, scalable, and sustainable way.
Our custom-built platform, myWTI, algorithmically matches Requests for Support from our partnering hospitals and clinics to the appropriate medical expert. For example, if a clinic needs a pediatric nephrologist, it connects them to one with the right qualifications, language, skills, and availability. Our global corps of medical experts includes 1700+ providers covering 50+ specialties.
Providers connect through medical-grade, diagnostic enabled telehealth technology. It allows medical experts to remotely upskill, support, and train clinicians in underserved areas. Remote providers can clearly visualize patients and collaborate with onsite providers in real time. Telehealth allows volunteer healthcare professionals to help whenever and wherever they’re needed most, from the comfort of their home/office. This enables continuous upskilling that builds the capacity of low-resource health systems over time.
WTI diminishes global health inequities by bridging volunteer medical experts with low-resourced communities to provide continuous training and clinical support in vital specialties like neurosurgery, obstetrics, and oncology. By empowering clinicians to deliver higher-quality care, WTI’s solution addresses healthcare gaps and improves health outcomes long term.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
WTI’s solution serves vulnerable populations in LMICs with limited access to quality healthcare. Barriers to care include lack of local expertise, long waits to see a specialist, unattainable/costly referrals, and more. WTI directly addresses these gaps by building the capacity of the healthcare system and enabling specialized care in vulnerable communities.
In Africa, over 2 million women suffer from obstetric fistulas, a childbirth injury that leads to lifelong complications and isolation. In Malawi, a local surgeon previously could treat 50% of fistula patients. After mentorship from WTI’s expert surgeons, she can now perform 92% of surgeries independently, restoring health and dignity.
At Central Regional Referral Hospital in Bhutan, 10 clinicians learned lifesaving diagnostic skills through our hands-on ultrasound training course led by Emergency Department specialists. Using interoperable ultrasound probes connected to the telehealth device at the hospital, Bhutanese providers are guided by specialists in real-time, viewing the live scans and offering feedback for skills acquisition.
In Kenya, WTI’s program saves lives. Janet was critically ill after childbirth and local doctors were unsure of the cause. Through WTI, they consulted an Emergency Medicine specialist. She recommended tests which revealed a blood clot and hypertensive heart disease, and Janet received lifesaving treatment.
