The Pfizer Foundation Invests in 20 Organizations
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The Pfizer Foundation announced 20 grants* to helpnon-governmental organizations (NGOs), non-profits and social enterprisesaddress critical health challenges related to infectious diseases, includingthe increasing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), in some of the world’smost vulnerable communities. Recipients of the one-year Global HealthInnovation Grants (GHIG) include partners in 12 low- and middle-incomecountries, which will each receive US $100,000, for a total investment thisyear of US $2 million by The Pfizer Foundation.
Globally, infectious diseases are responsible for anestimated 8.4 million deaths annually and are a leading cause of deathworldwide, particularly among young children and marginalized populations inunderserved communities,1 often perpetuating the cycle of poverty.It is estimated that the rise of AMR, which occurs when pathogens evolve towithstand the effect of even the most effective medicines, now accounts forapproximately 700,000 of these deaths.2 Without action, this numbercould reach 10 million deaths per year by 2050,2 and could cost theworld an estimated US $100 trillion in lost productivity in the same amount oftime.3 The World Health Organization (WHO) included AMR in its listof 10 threats to global health in 2019.4
“Mounting infectious disease outbreaks and the threat oflarge-scale antimicrobial resistance are increasingly becoming some of the mostchallenging global health needs of our time,” said Caroline Roan, president ofThe Pfizer Foundation. “We are dedicated to working with individuals andorganizations in local communities as they rethink and scale innovativesolutions to fight infectious diseases from the ground up, providing effectivesolutions to those patients most in need.”
The Pfizer Foundation’s flagship GHIG program is managed inpartnership with Innovations in Healthcare (IiH), a nonprofit organizationhosted by Duke University. The GHIG program combines grant investments withtechnical support to help accelerate global health innovations by givingpartners the autonomy to navigate the unique and fluid challenges they face intheir local – and often last mile – communities. The Pfizer Foundation and IiHwork together to analyze results from each partner program in order to build onkey learnings and pivot approaches, when needed.
Launched in 2016, the GHIG program has had incredible impactto date: 370,000 new patients have received care, 160,000 have been reachedwith screening and education, and 2,000 health workers have been trained. Withthe inclusion of this cohort of grants, total funding to date by the GHIGprogram totals $7.5 million.
The 20 organizations included in this year’s cohort ofgrants each take a community-tailored approach to finding and scalingsustainable solutions to overcome infectious diseases. There is a strong focusacross the grants on strengthening local healthcare systems and buildingcapacity, including through primary healthcare delivery and the integration ofinnovative health technologies in low-resource settings. Examples include:
- The expansion of a clinical staff training program by Muso in Mali to support clinicians at government-run health centers to improve quality of care as it relates to infectious disease, maternal and child health and core clinical issues driving preventable deaths such as childhood pneumonia, malaria and maternal hemorrhage;
- The launch of UE LifeSciences’ new innovation cervAIcal, an artificial intelligence-enabled, hand-held, wireless mobile colposcope to aid health workers and healthcare providers in detecting precancerous lesions at the point of care in regions of India with limited infrastructure; and
- Group for Technical Assistance in Nepal will develop, implement and evaluate Global Learning in Anti-Microbial Resistance, an e-learning platform and web-based information repository containing curriculum to set up AMR programs in health facilities across the country, including opportunities for live communication and mentoring via webinars with health providers.
*The Pfizer Foundation supports the following partners inthis cohort of grants:
2020 MicroClinic (Kenya); Afya Research Africa (ARA) (Kenya);Care 2 Communities (Haiti); Fundación Vive Con Bienestar – Bive (Colombia);Group for Technical Assistance (Nepal); Health Builders (Rwanda); JacarandaHealth (Kenya); Last Mile Health (Kenya); LifeNet International (Uganda); Muso(Mali); NAYA JEEVAN for Kids (Pakistan); North Star Alliance (Sub-SaharanAfrica); One Family Health (Rwanda); Penda Health (Kenya); Possible Health(Nepal); Society for Nutrition, Education, and Health Action (SNEHA) (India);Swasth Foundation (India); THINKMD (Nigeria); UE LifeSciences (UELS) (India);Unjani Clinics NPC (South Africa).
References:
1Global Burden of Disease Tool [Data set], University of Washington, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Global Health Data Exchange, 2019. Accessed July 16, 2019 from http://ghdx.healthdata.org/gbd-results-tool.
2No Time to Wait: Securing the Future from Drug-Resistant Infections: Report to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Inter-Agency Coordination Group on AMR. April 2019. Accessed August 1, 2019 from https://www.who.int/antimicrobial-resistance/interagency-coordination-group/IACG_final_report_EN.pdf?ua=1.
3Tackling Drug-resistant Infections Globally: Final Report and Recommendations, Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, May 2016. Accessed July 16, 2019 from https://amr-review.org/sites/default/files/160525_Final paper_with cover.pdf.
4Ten Threats to Global Health in 2019. Accessed August 1, 2019 from https://www.who.int/emergencies/ten-threats-to-global-health-in-2019.
