Health
LifeBank finalises seed funding from EchoVC
LifeBank™ has closed its seed round led by EchoVC Pan-Africa Fund. Also participating in the round was CcHub Growth Capital and an undisclosed healthcare angel investor.
LifeBank™ is a last mile medical supply chain company which leverages technology to discover, organize and deliver essential medical products to hospitals and in the process, acquires actionable data.
The company is initially focused on optimizing blood supplies given the size, fragmentation and severity of the need.
Targeted use of funding proceeds will be to extend its supply chain to include oxygen, vaccines, blood components and rare drugs as well as expand its coverage across Nigeria, particularly to Northern Nigeria, where reaching the last mile remains a very pressing issue.
Launched in 2016, LifeBank™ currently has over 41 authenticated blood banks on its online platform and has delivered to 167 hospitals. LifeBank’s™ optimized supply chain has helped save over 1,000 lives so far.
Its smart logistics system includes specially designed cold chain boxes that retains temperature for up to 30 hours, color-coded temperature strips for additional quality assurance and Bluetooth-enabled locks to guarantee security.
LifeBank’s™ goal is to continue to breakdown the challenges of medical supply logistics with technology-driven approaches.
It is working on a host of supply chain-focused solutions such as employing AI techniques to predict blood needs at the hospital level and utilizing blockchain technology to store authenticated non-alterable product information. The company also plans to use drones to serve hard-to reach rural clinics.
The company was founded by Temie Giwa-Tubosun, who previously worked in the public health sector with institutions like WHO, UNDP, DFID, Fairview Health Systems and with the Lagos State Government managing health facilities.
Temie was listed as one of the ‘100 Women Changing the World’ by the BBC in 2014, and as an African Innovator by the World Economic Forum in 2017. The company’s efforts have also been recently recognized by Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK), which made LifeBank™ the first African company to be invited into the Merck Global Accelerator Program.
In Africa, with only 1% of the population donating blood, the supply falls well short of the need. In Nigeria, for instance, the annual equivalent of 1.8 million units is required, however less than one-third of that is collected annually.
It is estimated that at least 10,000 women in Nigeria die every year from pregnancy-related hemorrhages due to blood shortages.
In private hospitals, valuable time is spent calling local blood banks to source blood which process also includes seeking accurate blood type information and actual quantities required. Depending on the blood type and quantity required, sourcing and delivering blood to the desperate patient can take between 3 hours and 2-3 days.
LifeBank™ has cut the process to under 55 minutes (with a target of 30 minutes) and blood is delivered to hospitals at more competitive prices.
The company has never left any whole blood order unfulfilled. Given the shortage of blood, predominantly filled by involuntary donors – 5% from voluntary donors, 30% family replacements and 60% for commercial donors – LifeBank™ is tackling this issue by fostering a blood donation culture through public awareness campaigns and offering a blood donor smartphone application to help lift voluntary donations from 5% to 100% and thus guarantee safe and consistent blood supply.
With the LifeBank™ blood donor application, donors can easily book appointments, donate blood and earn reward points at various government operated blood banks across Lagos.
“LifeBank™ is on a mission to build a big business that saves lives. Busy hospitals across the developing world often struggle to access essential medical products that they need to deliver great world-class care. When this happens, people die, especially vulnerable people”, said Temie Giwa-Tubosun, CEO and founder.
“LifeBank™ collates real-time inventory information, deploys the information to hospital clients using both high and low tech, and moves products in the right condition and on time. Our big audacious goal is to build the best healthcare supply chain that can promptly deliver essential medical products to every last mile point in the developing world.”
“Solving local healthcare problems at scale is a very important focus for our firm and we are very excited to invest in a company that is providing innovative healthcare-related solutions to life-threatening problems not just in Nigeria but across Africa,” said Uche
Ogboi of EchoVC Partners, said, “We are thrilled to welcome another elite female founder to our portfolio and look forward to working with closely with Temie and the LifeBank™ team to drive and deliver high-impact solutions in our healthcare ecosystems.”
With this investment, Uche Ogboi from EchoVC Partners has joined LifeBank’s Board of Directors.
Health
Enhancement of Military Health Services: Matawalle Meets U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Health
In a significant move to bolster Defence Health Services and strengthen the partnership between the United States and Nigeria, the Minister of State for Defence, H.E. Dr. Muhammad Bello Matawalle, met with a U.S. delegation led by Dr. David Smith, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Health.
A statement endorsed by Henshaw Ogubike, director of Information and PR at the Ministry, shows that the the meeting focused on enhancing the existing collaboration in defence health between the two nations, which has previously facilitated the establishment of high-tech laboratories in Nigeria.
The Honourable Minister commended the U.S. for their efforts and urged for the expansion of these medical facilities beyond Abuja and Lagos to reach more derserved regions.
Dr. Matawalle emphasized the strategic integration of health services to improve the welfare of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, stating, “A healthy military is the backbone of a strong nation.” He reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring that military personnel have access to top-tier healthcare services and facilities. To this end, he called for an increase in the defence budget allocated to health, viewing it as a vital investment in the nation’s future and stability.
Furthermore, the Minister highlighted that these initiatives align with Nigeria’s broader commitment to enhancing military readiness while addressing public health challenges that affect both service members and the civilian population. He noted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration is dedicated to improving healthcare for military personnel and civilians, recognizing healthcare as a cornerstone of national security.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar Kana mni, stated that this initiative would positively impact military health and serve as a model for strengthening Nigeria’s overall healthcare system. “This collaboration marks a turning point for Nigeria’s defence health system,” he asserted.
Dr. Smith praised the Minister for his proactive approach to health readiness, underscoring the critical connection between health systems and military effectiveness. “Health is as crucial as any weapon system in ensuring military success, and we are committed to supporting Nigeria’s efforts to enhance its defence health system,” he remarked.
The U.S. delegation is in Nigeria to further advance initiatives aimed at sustaining progress against HIV, accelerating efforts towards the United Nations’ 95-95-95 goals, and working towards the elimination of HIV as a public health threat by 2030.
Health
Neptune Prime publisher to unveil cancer clinic, school, foundation for late journalists’ families as son weds in Yobe
The publisher of Neptune Prime newspapers, Dr Hassan Gimba, has announced plans to commission three major projects in his home state, Yobe State
In an invitation letter sent to newsmen on Wednesday, the publisher disclosed that the event, which is scheduled to take place on August 31, is coinciding with the wedding Fatiha of his son, Barrister Suleiman Gimba.
According to the letter, the wedding Fatiha will take place by 11:00am at the residence of Mohammed Babate, Behind Water Board, Army Barracks, Potiskum.
“Immediately after the wedding Fatihah, we will be commissioning the Hafsatu Gimba Ahmed Memorial School located at VIO Street, Unguwar Jaji, Potiskum.
“This institution is dedicated to the memory of my late mother, aiming to serve the educational needs of our community,” the letter noted.
Dr Gimba added that as part of the launch programme, the Abubakar Monja Lifeline Foundation for Late Journalists’ Families, which he founded to cater to the families of journalists who have passed away, will be empowering youths it trained in tailoring and plumbing.
“Additionally, I would like to invite you to inspect the ongoing construction of the Lami Fatima Babare Cancer Outreach and Clinic situated nearby, also in Unguwar Jaji.
“The clinic is an initiative of the Lami Fatima Babare Cervical Cancer Foundation, which was founded in 2020 – in memory of my late wife, Lami Fatima Babare – to provide medical services and referrals to cancer patients,” the letter noted.
The Enugu State Government has announced its intention to revamp the existing infrastructural facilities to give the Enugu State College of Health Technology in Oji River a face-lift and also scale-up institution to a technology-savvy citadel of learning.
The government made this known during a meeting with the management, staff, and students of the institution at the Enugu State Government House at the weekend, stressing its commitment to ensuring quality health service delivery in the state.
The government, which made this known through the Special Adviser on Health Matters, Dr. Yomi Jaye, also asked the students of the institution to go back to school and continue with their academic calendar, as all those involved in the recent breach of security in the school’s neighborhood had been rounded up and now facing the law.
The governor equally gave the college management a two-week ultimatum to develop a workplan, which the government would work on to ensure that the school functions at its optimum level.
Briefing Government House correspondents after the meeting, Dr. Jaye said, “We interacted with the management, staff and students of the Enugu State College of Health Technology, Orji River, to come up with a strategic plan to revamp the college and restore its lost glory.
His Excellency, Governor Peter Mbah, has expressed his willingness not only to revamp the school, but to upscale it to a technology-savvy teaching community.
“As you can see, the government is bullish about building Type-2 Healthcare Centre in each of the 260 wards and this college will produce some of the qualified workers that will deliver quality healthcare services to Ndi Enugu.
“We appeal to the parents and guardians to allow the students to go back to school and resume their academic activities as more security personnel have been deployed to make sure that both Oji River and its neighbouring communities are properly secured.
“It is also important to inform you that those who perpetrated the security breach have since been arrested and the victims, which included one student, also freed,” he maintained.
Also speaking, the Provost of the College, Dr. Lazarus Ezugwu, expressed his happiness over the state government’s move to revamp the institution, saying he was optimistic that the glory of the institution would be restored in no distant time.
When commending Governor Peter Mbah and the security agencies for their swift response to the recent security breach at the College, he also confirmed that security had been strengthened around the institution and Oji River in general.
“The meeting is such a commendable one. It goes a long way in telling us the type of visionary leader we have in the state. To be sincere, the total overhaul that will be done in the college is going to be enormous. What is coming to the college cannot be imagined because the governor has shown both special interest and political will. This is what we have been yearning for, for so many years,” Dr. Ezugwu stated.
Portugal Football Club Signs on 19-Year-Old Nigerian- born Footballer, Yaqub Usman-Malah
Minister Commends Guards Brigade for Exceptional Service in Securing the Seat of Government
Spotify’s ‘Detty December’ Hub and Spotify’s ‘Songs of December’ now live
LASG Acquires New Outboard Engines For Optimum Boat Performance
Elon Musk builds Hotel in Mars, Sets to launch soon at $5million per night – Photos
