AFRICA – Abdul Latif Jameel Health, through their Japanese trading corporation, has announced a new collaboration to address the lack of access to adequate fetal monitoring in Africa with unmet needs due to limited availability of medical facilities and maternity physicians, or those with geographically dispersed populations not easily able to visit primary health care.
The collaboration involves signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the exclusive distribution of a cloud-based mobile wireless fetal monitor platform by Melody International, cloud-based mobile wireless fetal monitor platform.
This technology, dubbed ‘Melody i Mobile Fetal Monitor iCTG’ will be distributed across selected markets in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa covering a territory of over 1.9 billion people.
Melody has developed a convenient, smart and highly portable remote mobile fetal monitoring device to assist in problematic or high-risk situations, enabling safer and more secure births for mothers.
Their integrated platform comprises a fetal heart monitor (with in-built speaker in the transducer, that also functions as a fetal doppler); a uterine contraction monitor (external tocometer); and a smart tablet device to see data in real-time and connect to the internet.
Approved by Japan’s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency of Japan (PDMA)[1]; the Thai FDA, and currently preparing application for USA FDA approval, Melody’s iCTG is already widely used across many hospitals in Japan.
Its effectiveness has been proven in a variety of clinical cases, including as a partial alternative to periodic medical checkups for pregnant women living in remote or isolated areas and frequent and long-term monitoring of high-risk pregnancies which require regular tests such as mothers of late child bearing age and those with risks of premature labor.
These cases can be successfully monitored by clinicians analyzing the data remotely via the internet whilst the mother wears the device at home. This remote screening capability enables a quick intervention if necessary, decreasing a risk for unexpected or emergency delivery as a result.
Furthermore, collaboration between emergency transport services and hospitals during critical situations enables real-time data to be accessed by doctors to monitor the fetus’ condition during transit and for the receiving hospital to prepare a treatment plan before arrival, maximizing the likelihood of a successful outcome.
Compared to conventional fetal monitors, which can be large and expensive, the innovative Japanese technology of the Melody i Fetal Monitor iCTG is considered unique.
The system is affordable, portable, convenient and paperless, sending data to the tablet display or smart devices.
The transducer’s weight is close to that of common smartphones and one hour’s charge provides up to 6 hours on monitoring capability.
Commenting on the signing of the MoU, Yhuko OGATA, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Melody International said they were delighted to be partnering with Abdul Latif Jameel Health with their mission aligned to Melody’s to bring this innovative Japanese technology to a wider population reducing risk and saving lives across Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
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