USAID's
Health Technology Programs
Global Problem
In most parts of the developing world, public health services reach less than 50 percent of the population. Weak infrastructure, poor living conditions, limited individual and public resources, extreme environmental conditions, population growth, new migration patterns, and conflicts are only some of the challenges associated with the achievement of health for all. While enormous gains have been made in improving health care for people in the developing world, factors like HIV/AIDS, the development of resistant strains of diseases, continued population growth, decaying infrastructure, and inaccessibility of health services bring new challenges.
USAID supports the development or adaptation of technologies that increase access and affordability of lifesaving tools that address these challenges.
USAID’s Approach
USAID’s technology programs develop, adapt, evaluate, and/or facilitate the introduction of affordable and appropriate technology solutions that can contribute to addressing identified impediments to the safe, effective, and more equitable distribution of health care services in low-resources countries. These technologies can:
- Improve the ability of health workers in the most remote facilities to make a quick and accurate diagnosis.
- Increase access to proven lifesaving neonatal, child, and maternal health interventions.
- Introduce new methods for disease prevention and control.
- Stimulate production and increase manufacturing capacity in developing countries.
USAID's Key Achievements in Health Technology Programs
- HIV Dipstick. This simple, low-cost HIV test meets World Health Organization (WHO) standards. It is now manufactured by local companies in Asia and South America.
- Low-cost diagnostics for malaria, syphilis, and hepatitis B. These rapid and simple tests allow patients to be diagnosed and treated on the same visit.
- SoloShot™. The first successful auto-disable syringe, produced by Becton Dickinson, prevents infections associated with reuse of contaminated syringes and needles.
- UniJect™. This prefilled, single-use injection device licensed to Becton Dickinson allows vaccines and other lifesaving drugs to be delivered by a community health worker in remote villages.
- Vaccine vial monitors (VVMs). These indicators on vaccine labels change color when the vaccine has been damaged by heat exposure. VVMs improve outreach services to remote locations and reduce unnecessary wastage of vaccine. Today, UNICEF requires VVMs on all vaccines.
- Improved oral rehydration salts (ORS). WHO introduced the new ORS formula at the 2002 United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Children and estimates it could avert 14,000 deaths and save $7.1 million for every 1 million diarrhea episodes.
Future Technology Development
USAID is currently supporting the development of technologies that reduce neonatal, child, and maternal mortality. These include:
- Gentamicin-Uniject: A prefilled, nonreusable syringe such as the Uniject device can help ensure immediate delivery of the lifesaving benefits of the antibiotic gentamicin in peripheral health care settings and homes. Administration could then occur when the signs of a neonatal infection are first detected. Community health workers and traditional birth attendants could be trained to use gentamicin in the Uniject device (gentamicin-Uniject) along with a complementary antibiotic to extend accessibility and facilitate the administration of antibiotics.
- Chlorhexidine (CHX) for umbilical cord care: Based on a USAID-funded study that showed a 34 percent reduction in neonatal mortality if a neonate received umbilical cord cleansing with CHX, USAID’s focus is to make an appropriate and affordable chlorhexidine product for cleansing umbilical cords available in South Asia. USAID is working with local partners to develop a strategy for product scale-up and eventual introduction at the national level. In addition, USAID is identifying the most suitable regulatory and quality assurance strategies for the product.
- Cold Chain technologies: USAID supports the development of simplified refrigerators with a “smarter” thermostat and no controls that could eliminate the possibility of improper adjustments that expose vaccines to dangerous temperatures. New lower-cost solar refrigerators without batteries may provide refrigeration for more health clinics and facilitate immunization services in remote settings.
- Oxytocin-Uniject: This device can bring the lifesaving benefits of oxytocin to women in peripheral health care settings and homes. These benefits can improve the ability of midwives and village health workers to administer oxytocin outside of hospital facilities and in emergencies or remote locations.
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