Field, a healthtech company, has launched a route-to-market service that will introduce emerging therapies to tackle the urgency of maternal mortality, newborn and child health, and nutrition.
The initiative will leverage Field’s technology, distribution, and financing services, which powers a network of over 40,000 private and public healthcare providers in rural and urban areas across Kenya and Nigeria.
The initiative was launched with an initial Ksh. 1.4 billion (USD 11 million) in support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This is in recognition of Field’s commitment to introduce emerging therapies and supply chain transformation in combating Africa’s most urgent health priorities.
Since its inception in 2015, Field’s infrastructure has facilitated over 800 million health interventions across more than 60 therapeutic areas. These areas include family planning, HIV, and Tuberculosis, starting in Kenya and Nigeria, with scope to expand to other regions. Healthcare providers stand to benefit from last-mile delivery to improve day-to-day health services and the installation of pharma-grade refrigerators.
In addition to this new initiative, Field continues to grow and scale its technology solutions across the continent. In Field Supply, it has created the largest pharmaceutical supply chain platform in Africa. Its distribution service Shelf Life distributes over 3,000 quality products across more than 50 therapeutic areas, reaching over 2,500 pharmacies and hospitals in 24 cities in Nigeria and Kenya. The platform also provides trade financing solutions for priority therapies and equipment.
In Africa, maternal mortality is one of the continent’s most pressing healthcare challenges. According to the WHO, Africa accounted for 69% of global maternal deaths, with Nigeria alone representing 29% of all maternal deaths worldwide in 2020. Field’s service will provide expectant mothers in Africa access to emerging therapies such as heat-stable carbetocin and calibrated drapes, which detect and treat postpartum haemorrhage, the leading cause of maternal mortality in Africa.
Speaking on the initiative, Michael Moreland, CEO and Founder of Field, stated, “This is public health powered by technology and today’s news recognizes the products and services that Field has built over the past eight years scaled and integrated into large-scale public health programs; this is what we believe health technology companies should be doing; joining innovative, impactful coalitions between private and public entities. Digitally powering, networking, and financing health systems at scale will have an overwhelmingly positive effect on access to quality care.”