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Our Solution

Mashavu is a computer-based system set up as a kiosk with a ruggedized industrial design and user-friendly interface. Mashavu enables medical professionals in Kenya to connect with patients in the developing world using cell phones and internet. Trained operators at Mashavu kiosks use various bio-medical devices to collect essential medical information including weight, body temperature, lung capacity, blood pressure, photographs, stethoscope rhythms, and basic hygiene and nutrition information for each patient. Web servers aggregate this information from various Mashavu stations over a cell-phone GPRS link and provide it on a web-based portal.  Medical professionals can view the patient’s information and respond to the patient or the nearest doctor(s) with their recommendations. The patients follow up directly with the local doctor, if necessary. With the implementation of Mashavu, we hope to achieve these four overarching goals:

  • Improve Access to Healthcare
  • Active Community Health Education
  • Socio-economic Development through Micro-enterprise
  • Developing Students into Entrepreneurial Global Citizens

There are a number of telemedicine companies in the U.S. serving geriatric needs and rural communities. These comprehensive systems are fairly expensive and will not compliment the needs in developing countries. Mashavu combines patient inputs with personal biomedical measurements (leading to better diagnosis/judgment) and sustains itself in low-resource areas. The system uses ruggedized, inexpensive, low cost biomedical sensors and existing telecommunications infrastructure. The application of virtual instrumentation lowers the cost of a Mashavu kiosk to $120, compared with $1,000 for a common existing telemedicine system. We have an entrepreneurial approach to making Mashavu economically sustainable. Customers–orphanages, community centers, churches, clinics, entrepreneurs–will purchase the system with help from micro-finance organizations. They will charge community members a small fee to use the service. During the summer of 2008, our team conducted extensive surveys in Tanzania to determine the feasibility of our business model. The people overwhelmingly supported the venture, with most willing to pay about 80 cents per visit. With these numbers, the ROI (Return On Investment) will be under 6 months.