I was just reading through the new issue of Co-Creations, the e-Newsletter by the Kenyan Development Network Consortium (KDNC). Amidst informative articles about sustainable eco-tourism and the current state of ICT development in Kenya is a fascinating piece about the provision of appropriate medical devices to the country. The article is worth a quick read not only for what it says about Kenya or healthcare, but about approaches to development in general.

According to the story, most people living in Eastern Africa (and many other developing regions) have traditionally obtained medical devices and equipment largely through donor-funded initiatives. These efforts may in fact do more harm than good.

“The majority of the equipment is literally dumped into the African continent by suppliers who are funded through donor agencies. Indeed, close to 75% of medical equipment donated from industrialized nations are not in usable condition six months after arrival. Some 25% have major defects, another 50% fail progressively due to age or lack of proper maintenance.”

When John and Rob aren't blogging about cellphones improving incomes and health, they're forwarding news links about...cell phones improving incomes and health. This IHT story (great find by Rob) vividly illustrates just how valuable connectivity is on an individual and village-wide level, in this case in Sierra Leone.

(Note that ensuring healthy childbirth is a challenge across developing countries, especially low birth weight. Some of our health activities address the problem of scarce health services in rural areas, like Pesinet and PATH's baby scale . There's also a Lifewrap body suit that prevents bleeding to death in post-partum women.)

Also worth a read is Technology and Change Chris Albon's very thorough analysis of how wireless technology improves livelihoods and health, by allowing the "smallest clinic" to " ask for advice from national or international health experts," enabling "rapid and cheap health surveys in rural regions" and reducing non-compliance of patient self-treatment via text messaging.