Field takes action on Africa’s maternal mortality crisis with $11m-backed service

Business a.m.

Field, an African healthtech leader, has announced the launch of a route-to-market service that will bring emerging therapies to address pressing issues such as maternal mortality, newborn and child health, and nutrition, to the fore.

The new initiative will combine Field’s proprietary technology, distribution, and financing services, which currently support a network of over 40,000 public and private healthcare providers across Kenya and Nigeria, in both rural and urban areas, with the aim of providing timely access to these therapies and improving healthcare outcomes for communities in need.

The initiative launches with an initial $11m in support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in recognition of Field’s commitment to introduce emerging therapies and supply chain transformation in combating Africa’s most urgent health priorities. 

Since its inception in 2015, Field’s streamlined infrastructure has facilitated over 800 million health interventions across more than 60 therapeutic areas, such as family planning, HIV and Tuberculosis. Starting in Kenya and Nigeria, with scope to expand to other regions. 

Field has also stated its commitment to advance on its unique capabilities within complex distribution channels to create an accelerated route to market for emerging therapies and technologies. This is to include an extensive digitisation overhaul for private healthcare providers, hospitals and healthcare bodies at State and Federal level, with financing options to strengthen operations and purchasing capabilities. Additionally, healthcare providers stand to benefit from last-mile delivery to improve day-to-day health services and the installation of pharma-grade refrigerators. In its entirety, the service will be reinforced by the establishment of a coalition to include governments, manufacturers and other key stakeholders for one of the continent’s most ambitious maternal health programs to-date. 

Citing data, Field noted that the likelihood of a woman dying in childbirth in Africa is 45 times higher than in Europe. This is further supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) data, which shows that Africa accounted for 69 percent of global maternal deaths, with Nigeria alone representing 29 percent of all maternal deaths worldwide in 2020.

Field announced that its new service will offer expectant mothers in Africa access to emerging therapies, such as heat-stable carbetocin and calibrated drapes, which have the potential to effectively diagnose and treat postpartum haemorrhage, the leading cause of maternal mortality in Africa. 

The company also noted that its platform will facilitate the rapid introduction of these new interventions, support established therapies, and tackle related complications like preeclampsia, with the aim of reducing maternal mortality rates and improving health outcomes for African women.

Michael Moreland, CEO & founder of Field, emphasised the devastating impact of inadequate maternal health services on vulnerable populations across Africa.

Commenting on the initiative, Moreland stated,  “This is public health powered by technology and today’s news recognises the products and services that Field has built over the past eight years scaled and integrated into large-scale public health programmes; this is what we believe health technology companies should be doing; joining innovative, impactful coalitions between private and public entities.

“Digitally powering, networking, and financing health systems at scale will have an overwhelmingly positive effect on access to quality care. With funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation we are set to rapidly improve mother and child survival in every setting .’’ 

According to Field’s CEO, a number of global pharma and health companies have exited the continent in the past 18 months. Dwelling on this, he remarked “We’ve seen genuine, meaningful gains being made in healthcare delivery outcomes, however in this current tough economic climate, without coordinated systems and processes, the progress will slow or slip. Alongside our funders, our role is to ensure this doesn’t happen because the problems the healthcare space is facing will not be solved on its own. This is where Field, and its funders, come in and we’re excited to get to work on this technology-powered infrastructure blueprint for public health services.”