The global health care landscape faces immense challenges, particularly in low-resource geographies, where populations are disproportionately affected by disease burden and limited access to quality, affordable health care.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has projected that by 2035, there will be a global shortage of 12.9 million skilled health professionals, with the impact felt most acutely in low- and middle-income countries, especially in rural areas. Addressing these challenges requires innovative approaches, particularly in health technology, to bridge gaps in care delivery.
Integration of health technologies within health systems is the key
Health technologies—ranging from medical devices including in-vitro diagnostics to digital health tools—offer tremendous potential to revolutionize public health by enabling equitable access and last-mile health care delivery.
The promise of these technologies, if left unfulfilled, could lead to missed opportunities with significant consequences for global health. Therefore, it is crucial to support the scale-up and integration of health technology innovations within health systems.
Overcoming “valleys of death”
In India, the past decade has witnessed the rise of several promising medical technologies, thanks to early-stage funding and expert mentoring. The transformative power of health technology is evident in various success stories—point-of-care tests for infectious disease diagnostics, portable antenatal screening tools, AI-driven cancer screening solutions, and digital tools for noncommunicable disease (NCD) management.
Yet, many innovations face significant hurdles in progressing from proof-of-concept to market readiness. Without the necessary programmatic push, these technologies often fail to reach their potential, languishing in the so-called "valleys of death."
To fully harness this potential, the journey from lab to market must be expedited at a much faster pace.
Impact Lab: A ‘go-to-platform’ for health technology innovations
Recognizing this need, PATH established the Impact Lab platform in early 2018. As a pioneering initiative, Impact Lab aims to address critical health care challenges by supporting breakthrough medical technologies. It integrates innovations and programs, working with partners to accelerate the scale-up, market access, and adoption of health technologies that can benefit underserved populations the most.
Dr. Chandrasekar Nair, Director at Molbio Diagnostics talks about navigating regulations in the medical devices sector at PATH’s knowledge convening on ‘MedTech Products'. Photo: PATH
Impact Lab's activities span a broad range of support to innovators and public health programs, including:
- Conducting need assessment and market research to ensure sustainability in public health programs and commercial markets.
- Guiding innovators through complex regulatory landscapes to ensure their technologies meet the highest safety and quality standards.
- Supporting field tests to generate robust data on the effectiveness of solutions, ensuring compliance with design control and quality standards.
- Supporting operational studies to establish on-the-ground impact and facilitate integration of innovations into health systems.
- Expediting market access and scale-up by connecting innovators with key partners such as donors, foundations, public health organizations, and corporations.
In just six years, Impact Lab has engaged with more than 800 innovators in medical devices and diagnostics across India and globally. The platform has provided direct assistance to more than 45 innovations, helping with feasibility assessments, pilot deployments, commercial validations, and connecting innovators to public health stakeholders and key market access partners.
A child undergoing brain imaging through a portable low-field MRI machine. PATH is supporting the usability evaluation of the device in a multi-country study. Photo: PATH
Some of the standout innovations supported by Impact Lab include AiSteth (Ai Health Highway), Mythri (Niramai Health Analytix), SmartScope (Periwinkle Technologies), Velox Care (Yostra Labs), the SAVE Platform (Briota Technologies), Revive (Sensivision Health Technologies), Swaasa (Salcit Technologies), CareMother ( Doto Health), Emvolio (Blackfrog Technologies), Swoop Portable MR Imaging System (Hyperfine, Inc.), qXr (qure.ai) and drone-based health care delivery solutions (Redwing Labs).
Driving innovation through partnerships
Impact Lab has also spearheaded five national and global innovation challenges in collaboration with government agencies, top technology business incubators, social impact investors, non-profits, and corporate partners.
ADB and PATH hosted a 3-day conference in Manila from June 18th to 20th on "Bridging gaps for Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health”. PATH team members Swati Mahajan, Priyanka Bajaj, Rachana Parikh, and Divya Malik at the conference. Photo: PATH
These innovation challenges have focused on a range of health care needs, such as affordable diagnostics and treatment, comprehensive primary health care, maternal and newborn health, NCDs and mental health, and the impact of climate change on health.
Some of these key initiatives include Quest for Healthcare Innovations, PHC Tech Challenge, Saksham Aavishkar, Technologies Beyond Borders and Climate x Health Challenge.
A cross-cutting platform for health systems
Over time, Impact Lab has evolved into a cross-cutting platform within PATH’s public health programs and beyond. It facilitates the feasibility, human-centered design, and operational evaluation of innovative health technologies to accelerate their integration into both public health systems and commercial markets.
"The core of Impact Lab's mission is to strengthen health systems by leveraging innovative technology solutions. We strive to create an integrated ecosystem where health facilities, community programs, and cutting-edge innovations work together to provide comprehensive care. Our ultimate goal is to transform health care delivery, ensuring that every patient receives the care they need, no matter where they are."
–Neeraj Jain, Country Director India & Director Growth Operations, Asia, Middle East & Europe (AMEE).
By providing this holistic support, Impact Lab is catalyzing the growth of transformative innovations and helping to shape the future of global public health, ensuring that innovative technologies reach the communities that need them most.
