An expert team from Finland visited the district to see the existing healthcare facilities. The team included Melanie Wendland, Nicolas von Flintter and Shivi Kapil.
The team after visiting some peripheral hospitals as well as the district headquarters hospital (DHH) had a discussion with MP RK Jena. CDMO Bhabani Shankar Pani too was present in the meeting.
The team members belong to a reputed organization named M4ID, which is globally known for its service design solutions for development and health initiatives.
M4ID addresses the health related issues, primarily of mothers and newborns, through a special multi-disciplinary design project ‘lab.our ward.’
The project aims to improve the quality of healthcare for mothers and newborns in low resources settings.
The agency M4ID works with funding and technical assistance by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and implemented their designs in Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda etc.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was contacted by MP Jena to bring an improvement in the peripheral healthcare system in Baleswar.
Jena had met the agency members during his visit to Denmark in attending a global conference ‘Women deliver’ in the month of May where issues like challenges faced by women and girls across the globe and the need for changes in law, legislation and spreading awareness were discussed.
“The agency provides solution to safe delivery for women in a homely environment as well as care for mother and child after the delivery. We have service and product design, architecture for improvement of healthcare system,” said team member Melanie Wendland.
During the discussions, the team also displayed some of the products which were designed for a delivery patient, mother and child.
“Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was approached and it had assured to extend its support through its associate M4ID. Fortunately, in the Copenhagen conference ‘Women deliver’, I met the agency members and invited them to Baleswar. We would be implementing the agency’s design in a block as a pilot project and if successful, the same would replicated in other places of the district,” said Jena.