Good health is fundamental to a good quality of life. But today, access to even basic health services is beyond the reach of billions of people. Public and private health systems are struggling to deliver effective care in developed as well as in emerging markets. Technology can help us to address this global challenge.

Case study: mothers2mothers

Nonprofit organization mothers2mothers
(m2m) provides counseling and antiretroviral support to pregnant women living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, to prevent the spread of the disease from mother to child. HP is working with m2m to transform its information technology infrastructure. By migrating a paper-based patient records system to a digital environment, m2m will be able to easily share information across its network of more than 700 sites. Learn more.

Historically, the health sector has lagged behind other industries in taking full advantage of technology. At HP, we are contributing our full range of assets, including our broad portfolio of products and solutions, our technical and business expertise, our partnerships, and the time and experience of our employees, to tackle pressing health needs and drive structural, systemic improvements throughout health systems globally. Our two primary focus areas in global health include:

  • Strengthening health systems We work closely with governments and strategic partners to fundamentally improve health systems around the world. Learn more.
  • Accelerating electronic and mobile health solutions We apply our expertise in mobile and cloud-based solutions to improve and transform the way healthcare is accessed and delivered. Learn more.

We are addressing challenges in global health the same way we tackle the challenges of our own business and our customers' businesses. We listen and observe to develop a thorough understanding of the challenge, the environment, and the people involved. Then we put the full strength of our organization to work in order to deliver sustainable solutions that contribute to measurable improvements in health outcomes. By investing in the technological transformation of the global health sector, we help save lives and provide better care for billions of people. In addition, we gain insights to new markets and create new technologies that support our competitive advantage.

Early infant diagnosis

HP and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) are working with the Kenyan government to reduce the amount of time it takes to diagnose an HIV-positive infant. Through collaboration and innovative solutions, we’re automating the HIV testing process, speeding up reporting of test results, and helping to save lives. Learn more.

A collaborative approach to problem solving and a diverse set of skills and experience help drive innovation. HP works with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), enterprises, governments, and health organizations to help deliver life-saving solutions. Following are some of the key relationships and programs we established in 2010.

mPedigree

An estimated 700,000 people, at minimum, die every year from ingesting counterfeit drugs.1 HP is working with nonprofit mPedigree and companies in the pharmaceutical and telecommunications industries to combat counterfeit drugs through an innovative authentication system. With this technology, patients use a mobile phone to send a code, printed on their medication package, via a free text or SMS message to the system. Within seconds, they receive a reply letting them know whether the medication is legitimate.

HP designed, implemented, and provides ongoing management of the authentication service in addition to supplying the cloud infrastructure necessary to make authentication and tracking fast, easy, and secure. Our patented anti-counterfeiting technology is the result of work we've done to develop and refine technologies in imaging and printing, cloud computing, and analytics. It helps us identify and minimize counterfeit products in our own supply chain, and makes us ideally suited to this project.

HP and mPedigree launched the drug authentication program in Nigeria and Ghana in December 2010. The program is expected to be expanded to additional countries and new pharmaceuticals in 2011. Learn more.

Partners HealthCare

In 2010, HP continued its multi-year, strategic joint collaboration with Partners HealthCare to accelerate clinical genomics and advance personalized medicine. In initial phases of the collaboration, HP and Partners HealthCare built a powerful information technology (IT) infrastructure foundation with innovative software, ample storage memory, and processing power to support advances in genetic sequencing technologies. Today, researchers leverage this infrastructure to speed and support critical genetic discoveries. Evolving the robust IT foundation to support modern clinical research is changing the practice of medicine—providing a significant social impact on human health. Learn more.

Partners In Health

In 2010, HP began consulting on the IT architecture for a state-of-the art teaching hospital in Mirebalais, Haiti, through collaboration with Partners In Health (PIH). HP provided pro bono2 technical expertise for the IT architectural design of the hospital. We also made technology contributions to support the overall mission and operations of PIH. During 2011, we intend to continue to collaborate with PIH and on the teaching hospital and other initiatives.

mHealth Alliance

In 2010, HP became a founding member of the mHealth Alliance—an organization that strives to improve health outcomes in underserved communities by developing and deploying innovative, integrated mobile health solutions. Along with the other mHealth Alliance members, HP will propose and develop standards of interoperability and attempt to accelerate efficient and easy-to-use mobile health solutions. In 2010, HP announced a two-year, $1 million USD commitment to the organization, as well as technical and project support. Learn more.

Global Health Corps

Global Health Corps (GHC) promotes global health equity by recruiting, training, and supporting future leaders. Their fellowship program connects young professionals with organizations worldwide that focus on global health challenges. In 2010, HP contributed $100,000 USD to GHC—allowing for the appointment of two additional fellows to the program. We also laid the groundwork for a mentoring program between HP employees and GHC fellows. The mentoring program is scheduled to formally kick off in early 2011. In 2011, we also intend to expand our support to include technology solutions.

ILA Trust

In India, HP worked with ILA Trust to bring healthcare to very poor people in suburbs of New Delhi. We helped equip mobile clinics to use electronic health records and better monitor patients who cannot afford hospitals. ILA Trust serves 10,000 patients per month with two mobile clinics.

  1. 1 "  Keeping It Real: Protecting the world’s poor from fake drugs," International Policy Network, May 2009. (Approximately 700,000 deaths from malaria and tuberculosis alone are attributable to fake drugs.)
  2. 2 Pro bono: Contributed without compensation and for the public good.
  • Case study: Early infant diagnosis
  • Case study: mothers2mothers