By: Yvonne Dittman
Movement Health Foundation seeks to enhance healthcare delivery through a unique blend of digital innovation and local engagement. Since 2019, this Swiss non-profit has been working on practical solutions that aim to bring quality healthcare to communities worldwide, with notable progress in addressing cardiovascular disease and cancer care in middle and low-income countries.
From Colombia to Ghana: Supporting Digital Health Networks
Movement Health Foundation’s strategy for healthcare is reflected through various projects across continents. In Colombia, the foundation initiated the Salud 360 pilot project focusing on cardiovascular care. Following the positive outcomes of the pilot, local entrepreneur Johny Lopez took leadership of the initiative and significantly contributed to its expansion. Lopez secured $1 million in funding from the Colombian government to scale the solution to Putumayo, a region in the Amazon. The project’s progress has led to additional support from the Ministry of Health to expand to other remote and vulnerable areas of the country. This illustrates how Movement Health Foundation’s initial pilots can foster locally-driven healthcare innovations that have the potential for sustainable growth through regional leadership. It now serves seven health institutions in Putumayo, with an ambition to reach 350,000 patients.
In South Africa, the Movement Health Foundation is addressing another critical healthcare challenge: cervical cancer screening. Through collaboration with the Nelson Mandela University Centre for Community Technologies, it is currently developing a progressive web app (PWA) designed to transform how women access cancer care. The app features customized education in multiple languages (Sotho, Pedi, Tswana, Ndebele, Tsonga, Venda, and English), offline-accessible videos for areas with limited connectivity, and interactive maps showing nearby screening locations. This digital solution responds to a pressing issue: over 75% of cervical cancer cases in South Africa are diagnosed at advanced stages, particularly affecting women living with HIV. The initiative aims to contribute to reducing treatment costs through early screening while helping to address significant gaps in rural and peri-urban areas where healthcare access remains limited.
The app’s features include voice input capabilities for easier accessibility, gamification elements to increase user engagement, and text-to-speech audio support. Working alongside local experts and the Department of Health, the Movement Health Foundation is rolling out this solution in three phases: initial implementation in three districts, national scale-up with additional women’s health components, and eventual expansion to other African nations with similar healthcare challenges. This comprehensive approach aligns with the objectives of South Africa’s National Development Plan 2030, which seeks to eliminate poverty and reduce maternal mortality.
Innovation Through Strategic Partnerships
Movement Health Foundation’s success is largely attributed to its ability to forge meaningful partnerships with more than 40 organizations worldwide, including technology giants, biotechnology leaders, and diagnostic companies such as Microsoft, Roche, and Siemens Healthineers. In Ghana, it has collaborated with the National e-Pharmacy Platform (NEPP)—a digital platform commissioned by Ghana’s Pharmacy Council in 2022—to support the transformation of community pharmacies into data-driven healthcare hubs. This initiative aims to enhance traditional healthcare delivery by integrating pharmacy services with digital health solutions, potentially contributing to a more accessible and efficient healthcare system.
The NEPP collaboration illustrates their strategy for sustainable healthcare innovation. The platform has already integrated numerous pharmacies and processed more than 250,000 prescriptions valued at over $4 million USD. The NEPP connects with private health insurance companies and the National Health Insurance Authority digital applications while integrating with Ghana’s Health Service Lightwave EMR system to help create a comprehensive digital health ecosystem.
Building Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Movement Health Foundation employs a comprehensive six-step approach to healthcare transformation that seeks to create a lasting impact. It begins with a regional setup, where they identify major health challenges and establish data-sharing frameworks. Next, it engages with regional decision-makers to define specific problem areas that need attention. The third step involves creating partnerships with existing healthcare infrastructure to build strong local networks. Following this, the foundation convenes public and private allies and partners to collectively support the scalability of identified solutions. This is followed by implementing targeted pilots to test and refine solutions. Finally, the foundation works to expand successful solutions globally, aiming to ensure that effective healthcare innovations reach communities worldwide.
This methodical approach has contributed to noteworthy results across multiple regions. In Peru, the foundation’s initiatives have been associated with a 14% increase in nutritional supplementation for infants and enhanced prenatal care access. This influence extends to national policy-making, as demonstrated in Costa Rica, where Movement Health played a role in shaping the National Health Policy 2023-2033.
Measurable Impact: From Local Success to Global Change
The foundation’s impact extends beyond their individual projects. Its work in Cusco, Peru, has facilitated over 1,487 additional consultations for pregnant and postpartum women and 4,760 for children. It has also been linked to a 12% increase in family planning visits and a 14% increase in well-baby checkups, suggesting that digital health solutions may help improve various aspects of healthcare delivery.
With healthcare systems worldwide facing increasing pressures from growing populations and rising chronic disease rates, Movement Health Foundation provides insights into a blueprint for sustainable healthcare transformation. Its success across Africa, Europe, and Latin America indicates that effective digital health solutions should be rooted in local realities while leveraging global expertise and resources.
Published by Anne C.
