"Reverse Innovation” Could Save Lives. Why Aren't We Embracing It?

Low-cost medical solutions are saving lives and reducing costs in developing countries.

The so-called uterine balloon tamponade (UBT) exemplifies low-cost medical solutions that are saving lives and reducing costs in developing countries. One-third of maternal deaths during childbirth result from post-partum hemorrhage (PPH) – the number one cause of maternal death in developing countries. A device called a “uterine balloon” offers the most readily available treatment for PPH, but it costs around $300. To reduce PPH deaths, physician Thomas Burke, the head of Massachusetts General Hospital’s Division of Global Health Innovation, developed the UBT: a device made of a syringe, plastic tubing and a condom. Burke’s UBT can reliably stem uterine bleeding at a cost of only a few dollars and has saved the lives of hundreds, if not thousands of women, in poor regions of the world. Burke distributes the UBT as a kit with diagrammed instructions, and he’s sent...