By Danny Lu
The topic that I am discussing is about how I came up with a solution to solve a social problem. It all began when I was researching social problems in which drew my attention towards third world countries. I was reading statistics from encyclopaedias about the high death rates of young premature infants. I then began to wonder what was the cause and reason behind why premature infants have a higher chance of dying in comparison to developed nations. The reason became obvious that it was because of the lack of access to healthcare. Hospitals in third world nations are unable to afford incubators as they are very expensive, therefore with the lack of access to these medical resources are the reason that premature infants die.
Therefore I had to think of a substitute product that can keep the baby warm so that it will survive. I was researching products online to find which products can potentially be substitutes in which while I was searching for online products I stumbled across items such as sleeping bag and hot water bottle products. I thought that using a sleeping bag and hot water bottle design was a great idea as a substitute for an incubator because not only is it cheap and affordable for third world nations, it is also small and compact meaning it is convenient and comfortable to transport around with it.
Incuheal is an excellent substitute that will help solve a social problem and improve premature infant mortality and is also profitable because all hospitals would want access to this product to help save infant's lives. We are also making this product available to families because of the overcrowding of hospitals in africa which can make it challenging for hospitals to provide enough resources. This can also increase our social entreprise's profitability as we are making it available to not only hospitals but also families. The main aim of this social enterprise is to help improve the quality of life in third world nations. This includes not only the African continents but also the middle east and asia or any countries around the world that are affected by premature infant deaths.
Please feel free to provide feedback or questions on our social enterprise as we are interested in hearing from you. I am also curious whether you think the design of this product will be physically durable and efficient in providing for premature infants? What are you thoughts on it?
Problems that are faced in third world nations high infant mortality rates due to lack of resources and income to provide access to hospital incubators like the ones available in developed countries. Our intention is to design a low-cost infant warmer as our substitute for the incubator. Our resolution is to provide more accessibility and affordability of health care resources in third world nations.
Hi Danny,
ReplyDeleteI would say it is a great social idea. Indeed, I never knew that there are lot's of babies around the world die in the first month of life, even in the first day, due to lack of a consistent heat until they have the body fat and metabolic rate to stay warm.
Your idea has raised my awareness, start caring about those pity babies and willing to help. How can I help them?
I'm willing to spread your idea to my friends and people around me. :)
Lee
Hi Pui,
ReplyDeleteWe have started an advocate training program with the intention to train people to spread our message about infant mortality across the world. We appreciate your interest and enthusiasm to spread the word to your friends and family about our cause. It would be an honour if you can participate and also get your family and friends to join our advocate program which will be a life changing experience that you would cherish for your lifetime. This would involve travelling to third world nations to help spread the message to doctors and hospitals in order to improve the healthcare in those countries.
We appreciate your feedback and I hope I have adressed your queries.
Danny Lu
Hi Danny,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great eye opener. It is problems like these that individuals in our society are not educated thoroughly enough about. In terms of the design, as you say it must be cost efficient and effective. How long do you think it will take for a team to be able to prepare the product and begin distributing across countries that are in desperate need of aid?
Are there any key partners that you would be willing to work with?
Andrew
hi Andrew
ReplyDeleteAs we have already completed our design as mentioned in Andrew Langsmead blog on the design and manufacturing of the incubator, we aim to achieve the distribution globally by 2013 by sending our product to wholesalers in third world countries. The healthcare government in developing countries will then be buying our product from wholesalers in order to deliver these cost efficient incubators to hospitals. This will provide doctors and nurses the ability to treat babies suffering from infant mortality at a lower healthcare cost which will allow more access to families.
In terms of key partners, we are partnering with UNICEF which will be the aid correspondence for families living in developing countries. This is to ensure healthcare costs are affordable and accessible for families. Another key partner will be from the support of advocates who feel strongly about our cause and want to help make a difference.
We appreciate your time and feedback and I hope I have answered your queries,
Danny Lu