#SandozHACk: Calling tech whizzkids to help solve healthcare access

The combined efforts of stakeholders across both public and private sectors, including the pharmaceutical industry, not-for-profit organizations and governments have made significant advances in tackling healthcare access challenges worldwide.

But these large-scale systemic initiatives need to be supported by community-led change, driven by innovative small-scale solutions that can make a big difference. Therefore, the Sandoz HACk has been launched, inviting people to generate novel solutions to tackle key healthcare access challenges in local communities.

The global competition to generate innovative ideas and solutions to help tackle some of the world’s most pressing healthcare access problems is open for entries until November 30, 2016.

Mobile technology is radically altering how care is delivered and received worldwide and the influence of mobile in healthcare is likely to continue evolving in the future. In its inaugural year, Sandoz HACk encourages today’s generation of entrepreneurs and creative thinkers to enter ideas that harness mobile health technologies – M-Health – to help solve relevant local healthcare access challenges.

Sandoz HACk is open for entries from 18-35 year olds around the world. Following a robust judging process, the six finalist entries will be published on OpenIDEO – a global community of leading organisations and individuals working together to design solutions to the world’s biggest challenges. Entrants’ ideas will be refined and evolved in partnership with this online community before being presented to a panel of judges. Three winners will be chosen and awarded seed funding and mentorship to help bring their ideas to life.

“We are seeing healthcare costs increasing at a rate faster than inflation in South Africa,” says Carel Meintjes, commercial excellence head at Sandoz. “I am convinced that there are brilliant young minds with wonderful, innovative ideas on how to improve healthcare. We believe that Sandoz HACk will create the platform to voice these creative ideas which will ultimately help to improve access to healthcare in South Africa.”

To find out more visit the Sandoz website or Facebook page