Call for Problems Winners Announcement

We are very pleased to announce the winners of the competition of problems

After receiving more than 120 problems from 22 different countries, a panel of IDB evaluators and an external jury have selected the winners of the Call for Problems in our Mobile Citizen Program.

The Call for Problems is a demand-driven approach seeking to identify severe problems affecting the bottom of the pyramid in the region, which could potentially be solved through mobile technology. Public and private institutions, for-profit or non-profit organizations, research and development centers as well as academic institutions were invited to share their problems. From now on, the Mobile Citizen team and its partners will work together with the winning institutions to develop mobile based technical solutions to the problems they presented.

We greatly thank all participants!

Videos are available only in Spanish.

Call for Problems Winners Announcement
Information transfer delays regarding the detection and follow-up of individuals infected with Chagas’ disease and Dengue fever in vulnerable populations
Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (National University of Córdoba), Argentina

Current epidemiological surveillance of Chagas’ disease and Dengue fever is carried out with manual recording instruments. This results in a considerable delay in the transfer, processing and analysis of information, preventing health policy decision-makers from having timely and relevant information for taking actions, and, therefore, available resources are not efficiently used. Chagas’ disease involves dispersed rural populations, affected by poverty and with marked difficulties in accessing health systems and, in general, with limited knowledge and denial of the disease.

The IDB, together with the Mobile Citizen Program partners will work together with the Universidad de Córdoba and Sociedad Argentina de Cardiología (Argentine Society of Cardiology) in the development of a mobile based technological solution for the epidemiological surveillance that will be implemented in different regions of Argentina and Bolivia.

Getting connected for a better maternal and child health
Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (Cayetano Heredia Peruvian University), Lima - Peru

The Peruvian Ministry of Health has undertaken to reduce maternal mortality by the year 2015, thus expecting to decrease the current number of 185 cases out of every 100,000 births, to 66 cases. Prenatal care may help prevent complications during pregnancy and delivery by taking simple actions; however, in developing countries this care has extremely low coverage due to certain factors such as extreme poverty, illiteracy, limited access to health services and a lack of effective information systems.

The IDB and the Mobile Citizen Program partners shall work together with the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, the Health Region of Callao, Callao Regional Government and AED-Satellife in the development of a pilot project in the Callao region, with the purpose of allowing pregnant women to have higher levels of accessibility to the health system, and also enabling health centers to improve patient monitoring through mobile technology solutions.

Lack of monitoring systems and medical assistance for individuals with type 2 diabetes
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (Catholic University of Chile), Santiago - Chile

According to data from the Asociación de Diabéticos de Chile (Chilean Association of Diabetics), Diabetes Mellitus type 2 (DM2) is a condition that affects 7.5% of the population. It causes disabilities or mortality, particularly in elderly people; however, under constant and adequate treatment, risks are significantly reduced. Given the DM2 high prevalence and serious consequences, its control and treatment are a priority for health services at a national scale.

The IDB, together with the Mobile Citizen Program partners and the Instituto Mesoamericano para la Salud, shall work on the development of a digital vaccination register based on mobile technology, which will allow for a wider vaccination coverage as well as a more effective epidemiological monitoring, thus enabling an immediate response capacity.

The IDB and the Mobile Citizen Program partners will work together with the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in the development and implementation of a mobile follow-up and communication system that will combine automated elements (text messages) with phone personal care. The project will be first be implemented in the area of Puente Alto in Santiago de Chile.

High costs for accessing job opportunities in more vulnerable groups
PGentexpresa Organización (Gentexpresa Organization), Temuco – Chile

The problem of unemployment in Chile has increased during the last year due to the crisis, significantly affecting young workers and adults of vulnerable and less qualified sectors. The Chilean government is implementing strong public policies of work reintegration carried out through its Municipal Offices of Labor intermediation (OMIL).

As from 2008, these Offices have been publishing job offers on web pages but, even though this approach has extended the channels for the dissemination of opportunities, it still does not represent a widespread solution due to limited Internet access. However, according to SUBTEL data as of September 2009, 91 people out of every 100 inhabitants have a mobile phone.

The IDB and the Mobile Citizen Program partners will work together with the organization Gentexpresa in the development of a mobile based job search platform in the city of Temuco and other regional capitals of Southern Chile in order to complete the efforts for the dissemination of job opportunities among the most excluded sectors.

Lack of data on vaccination coverage in the most vulnerable populations of Middle American countries
Instituto Mesoamericano para la Salud (Middle American Institute for Health), Chiapas - Mexico

At present, the great majority of countries use the methodology of keeping vaccination records in paper index cards and the child's parents themselves are responsible for said index card. Time and money invested by institutions in managing paperwork and following up vaccination data are excessive and some times inaccurate, causing national immunization systems to be weak.

The IDB, together with the Mobile Citizen Program partners and the Instituto Mesoamericano para la Salud, shall work on the development of a digital vaccination register based on mobile technology, which will allow for a wider vaccination coverage as well as a more effective epidemiological monitoring, thus enabling an immediate response capacity.

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