The Covid-19 pandemic emphasized the need for innovative health technologies that can help countries improve health outcomes by providing shortcuts to solutions despite the lack of infrastructure and resources. However, many of the new technologies that have reached the market are unavailable or inadequate for low and middle income countries.

To ensure that all countries benefit from the health innovation, which has commended 24 new technologies at can be used in low resource.

"Innovative Technologies accelerates access to medical care everywhere, but we must ensure that they are available in all health facilities, with a fairly safe and quality assurance price," Dr. Mariângela Simão, chief director of whom access to health products, said. "Who will continue to work with governments, funders and manufacturers to promote sustainable supplies of these tools during and outside emergencies".

The main purpose of the Compendium was to select and evaluate the technologies that can have an immediate and future impact on the preparation and response of Covid-19, which might improve the results of health and quality of life, and / or offer a solution For a medical need dissatisfied.  15 of these technologies are already commercially available in countries, while the rest is still in the prototype stage.

The compendium includes simple elements ranging from a coloured bleaching additive, which allows the naked eye to identify surfaces and non-sterilized objects, to a more complex, but easy to use as a portable respiratory monitoring system and fans with An extensive battery it can be used where electricity is not available or unstable. The list also includes a deployable health centre for emergencies covered in a shipping holder. Some of these technologies have already been in use and showed their value through pilot programs.

For example, the oxygen concentrator with solar power is highly effective in treating pneumonia, which kills 900,000 children a year, at a local children's hospital in the state Galumudug de Somalia.  Studies have shown that reliable access to oxygen child mortality can reduce due to pneumonia by 35%. Given the lack of oxygen in many countries, the concentrate is a critical tool in the treatment of hospitals Covid patients.

WHO has evaluated innovative technologies over the past 10 years, some of the selected products are now addressing priority problems in the low resource configuration? A critical example is an application for smartphones that allow the user to immediately register precise measurements of blood pressure. According to a report published for last week, the number of adults from 30 to 79 years with hypertension increased from 650 million to 1.28 billion in the last thirty years and nearly half of these people do not know that they have hypertension.

Smartphones are widely available, even in the most remote areas or in low resource configuration. The software-based platform changes existing smartphones into a medical device that is able to measure precision blood pressure without adding any other device or accessories. The other benefit of the application is that even in the absence of a trained health worker, patients can test and apply their blood pressure better.

The Compendium provides a complete evaluation of technologies, conducted by a group of international experts who work with technical teams, based on: compliance with whom specifications relating to performance, quality and safety; Low resource suitability; affordability; Easy to use; and state of regulatory approval. This information is essential to help governments, non-governmental organizations and funders decide which products come.  The conclusions of the suitability of each technology are communicated by a simple traffic light counting system, indicating whether the product is recommended (for use without known restrictions); Recommended with caution (the limitations related to the maintenance and need for trained staff can be identified); or not recommended (inappropriate, unsafe or indelible).