CIMAS Health Group’s annual Healthathon has grown beyond a competition into a national platform for digital health innovation, bringing together Zimbabwean innovators to develop technology-driven solutions to some of the country’s pressing healthcare challenges.
This comes as the third edition of the Healthathon heads to its grand finale on Friday, with 10 teams set to battle it out under the theme, “Reimagining Healthcare Through Disruptive Innovation.”
The finale will be held at Cimas Health Group’s head office in Borrowdale, Harare.
Cimas Health Group Chief Information Officer Foster Akaketwa said the strong response to this year’s challenge demonstrated the growing appetite among Zimbabweans to use technology to address challenges confronting the healthcare sector.
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The Healthathon 3.0 attracted 372 submissions from innovators, start-ups, researchers, students and emerging technology enthusiasts from across the country.
“This year’s Cimas Healthathon 3.0 has once again provided a national platform for innovators to develop technology-driven solutions to some of Zimbabwe’s most pressing healthcare challenges,” Akaketwa said.
“We received an impressive 372 submissions, which is an increase from last year, and this demonstrates that there is both a strong appetite and considerable capability among Zimbabwean innovators to contribute to solving healthcare challenges.”
The submissions tackled a wide range of issues, including diagnostics, preventive healthcare, artificial intelligence, rural healthcare, rehabilitation, data protection and emergency response.
The competition began with an assessment of the 372 submissions before the field was narrowed to the Top 20 and subsequently the Top 15.
The 15 teams then underwent mentorship and refinement of their proposed solutions before the final 10 were selected for Friday’s grand finale.
Akaketwa said mentorship had been critical in helping participants move beyond conceptual ideas and develop solutions with practical applications in healthcare.
“Each of the Top 15 teams was assigned a mentor. The mentors worked with the teams to challenge their assumptions, strengthen their research, understand healthcare workflows, refine their solutions and think through what would be required to take those solutions into implementation,” he said.
At the finale, the teams will pitch their innovations before a judging panel comprising Cimas leadership and external experts from the healthcare, technology, innovation and industry sectors.
The overall winner will receive US$3 500, while the second and third-placed teams will receive US$2 000 and US$1 500 respectively.
However, Akaketwa said the value of the Healthathon went beyond the prize money, with promising innovations potentially being considered for validation, incubation, partnerships or pilot programmes with Cimas.
“For us, the real success of Healthathon will be when an idea developed through this challenge moves beyond the competition and begins making a measurable difference in people’s lives,” he said.
“That is ultimately what innovation should be about, and it is closely aligned with our purpose of inspiring healthier communities.”
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