Hayat, a mobile health application and web portal developed by the University, is currently being rolled out in parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan in partnership with the two countries’ federal and provincial governments.
The implementation of Hayat, which means life in Urdu and Dari, will enable the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan to expand access to routine immunisation and key maternal, neonatal and child health services while enhancing the transparency, accountability and governance
Saleem Sayani (second from right) speaks at a panel session at the Grand Challenges Annual Meeting.
of the local health system.
Jointly funded by a CAD $2 million grant by Grand Challenges Canada and the Aga Khan Foundation Canada, Hayat enables real-time data to be collected on the health system’s ability to meet the needs of the local population. The project, which covers 56 sites in Afghanistan and Pakistan, was launched in November 2018 and will run until December 2020.
Saleem Sayani, director of AKU’s Technology Innovation Support Centre, was invited to speak about Hayat at the Grand Challenges 2019 Annual Meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. During a panel session on the role of government in introducing innovation into remote areas, Mr Sayani urged the audience to view government as an enabling force.
While sharing his experience of working with federal officials in Afghanistan and provincial health stakeholders in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan, Mr Sayani spoke of the importance of ensuring that innovations could be integrated into existing national and provincial health delivery systems.
“Developing an application that strengthens the health system is an important first step in raising the quality and efficiency of health service delivery,” said Mr Sayani. “But for an innovation to achieve long-lasting, scalable and sustainable change, it needs the constant support of the public sector.”
The Grand Challenges Annual Meeting 2019 was a four-day event in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which brought together over 1,000 leaders from across the globe to share best practices, foster collaboration and seek solutions for development challenges through bold innovations. This year’s theme was Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development. The conference was co-hosted by the African Union, Ethiopia's Ministry of Health, Grand Challenges Canada, the United States Agency for International Development and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and was held from October 28 to October 31, 2019.
Hayat aims to help governments achieve targets on universal health coverage under goal 3 of the sustainable development goals, Good Health and Wellbeing.