MPN picks three devices helping save lives across the globe
Portable, affordable screening for eye problems
the 3nethraClassic
About 40 million people worldwide are blind and another 250 million have moderate to severe visual impairment. Portable, affordable devices screen for early signs of diabetic retinopathy, cataract, glaucoma, and other eye conditions that may signal serious health conditions that could lead to death. One example is the 3nethraClassic, which can be operated by a minimally trained technician and uses web-based storage of results so programs can use the expertise of eye doctors in distant locations.
Tools for small-scale water treatment
The Zimba automated batch chlorinator
Use of contaminated water can cause severe diarrhoea. The Zimba automated batch chlorinator, is a device fitted directly to a hand pump or community tap that automatically chlorinates water to a safe concentration without electricity or moving parts.
One-year contraceptive vaginal ring
Viginal contraceptive ring
Increased use of contraception to delay motherhood, space births, prevent unintended pregnancy and avoid unsafely performed abortions could reduce maternal and infant deaths. Family planning could save an estimated 80,000 women and 1.1 million infants each year. A one-year contraceptive vaginal ring can be inserted by a woman at home and provides long-acting, reversible protection through the slow, sustained release of Nestorone and ethinyl estradiol.