U.S. backs Zipline with $150M for drone delivery in Africa for medical supplies

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"Zipline last week announced a partnership with the U.S. Department of State to expand its drone delivery service across Africa. Under a new pay-for-performance model, the State Department is providing Zipline with up to $150 million to expand its infrastructure, enabling African governments to provide delivery of essential medical supplies to hospitals and health facilities.

Zipline said this could triple the number of hospitals and health facilities it serves from 5,000 to 15,000. It could also provide up to 130 million people with instant access to blood and medications. ...

Zipline said African countries will pay up to $400 million in utilization fees. The U.S. government will release funding only when governments sign expansion contracts and commit to paying for ongoing logistics services to ensure long-term sustainability. ...

The American financing will support Zipline in constructing new hubs. Each of the company’s hubs is staffed entirely by local employees, which creates skilled local jobs. ...

Zipline said its infrastructure can deliver better health outcomes by solving the root of many public health challenges in Africa: slow, unreliable, and analog logistics that often leave blood, medications, and supplies out of stock or spoiled. In some places where Zipline operates in Africa, the average time between when a health facility places an order and when it is delivered is 13 days. Zipline said it cut that to under 30 minutes for the facilities it serves in the country. ..."

U.S. backs Zipline with $150M for drone delivery in Africa

Zipline in Africa Source

Smart bandages that heal wounds faster and communicate with your doctor

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"Researchers are working on bandages that allow remote monitoring and deliver treatment with zaps of light or electricity. This sector of the wearable-tech industry could be lifesaving for patients with severe wounds treated in the hospital or chronic wounds cared for at home, advocates say."

The Wall Street Journal What's news

A smart bandage in development uses tiny LED lights to emit ultraviolet-C light, aimed at sterilizing a wound as it heals.

A Kenyan Factory produces more than 300 million syringes per year

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"The 300 million syringes produced each year by Revital Healthcare in Kenya are more than medical supplies: They are a measure of Africa’s growing medical independence. 

... the factory has become a linchpin in Africa’s medical manufacturing industry since its founding in 2008. 

One highlight: Revital makes enough syringes to meet more than half of Africa’s routine immunization needs—a critical resource when most syringes are produced in Asia.

Next steps: Revital aims to become Africa’s largest manufacturer of rapid diagnostic test kits for HIV, malaria, hepatitis, dengue, and other diseases. It is also planning to produce health care kits for outbreaks. ..."

Global Health NOW: The Kenyan Factory Producing Self-Reliance; A Forgotten, Yet Life-Threatening Infection; and ‘A National Crime Scene’

From the company's website