The Learner Treatment Kit was recently featured at the Social Innovation in Health Initiative hosted by the World Health Organisation, Geneva as part of the event “Enhancing healthcare delivery systems: harnessing the crucial contribution of grass-roots community-based social innovation”
Click here to watch a recording of the event where Austin Mtali (Programme Coordinator, Save the Children International) presents the Learner Treatment Kit at 25:00.
The Learner Treatment Kit:
The Learner Treatment Kit is a simple first-aid kit containing malaria rapid diagnostic tests and artemisinin-based combination therapy used by trained teachers in Zomba, Malawi to manage uncomplicated malaria and other basic health problems experienced by primary school children. This intervention is implemented by the Malawi National Malaria Control Programme, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education, Science & Technology with support from Save the Children International. An evaluation of the Learner Treatment Kit is currently being conducted by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in partnership with the Malaria Alert Centre, University of Malawi. For more information, contact katherine.halliday [at] lshtm.ac.uk (Katherine Halliday) or stefan.witek-mcmanus [at] lshtm.ac.uk (Stefan Witek-McManus).
Social Innovation in Health Initiative:
The event was hosted by the Social Innovation in Health Initiative, a collaboration between the Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town), Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship (Saïd Business School, University of Oxford) and Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (WHO). It aims to integrate a social innovation lens within health systems policy and practice in three ways:
- Evidence (conduct, support and disseminate research on priority areas)
- Practice (identify, develop and share tools and guidance to help strengthen capacity; pilot test approaches
- Influence (engage a global-south community of people and partners interested and passionate about social innovation in health.
The Learner Treatment Kit was selected to be part of a list of 25 key innovations from over 150 projects submitted to the initiative. The selection was made by an expert review panel in social innovation, public health & infectious diseases. Following a series of visits to each project in September, Austin Mtali was invited to represent the Learner Treatment Kit at a convening of ten shortlisted innovations between December 2nd-4th, and as one of only two innovations to be highlighted at the public event on December 5th.