Buzz Meeting: A Sense of Urgency

By: Josh Nesbit, Co-Founder and CEO, Medic Mobile

The retreat made me feel like a vetted member of the maternal health knowledge and action community. It was much different than attending a conference; rather than presenting solutions immediately dismissed as “just someone else’s idea,” we focused on questions, uncertainty, and at times discomfort belonging to the community. It was honest.

I slept about 30 minutes each night – the bed was comfortable, but I was never quite done wrestling with the challenges we’re facing. I’d agree with many in the room last week — we shouldn’t be sleeping easily, there needs to be a sense of urgency.

Our team at Medic Mobile is determined to turn technology innovations such as SIM applications and our upcoming dashboard platform into user-friendly tools and programs. The highlights that have sparked the most discussion among the Medic Mobile team include:

1. If you have knowledge, you have responsibility and power
2. “We know how to save individual lives. What we haven’t sorted is how to act on a population level”
3. “For many, the goal is evidence-informed advocacy”
4. “What we need is local data for relevant policy making”
5. Are we too focused on increasing quantity and not quality? Can we internalize quality assessment?
6. How do we (a) reach the poorest, (b) improve FP access, (c) target morbidity as well as mortality, and (d) go beyond technical interventions?