Innovators of the Caribbean: Innovation Tells No Tales 

We would like to extend our gratitude to Ruth Houliston, Vashtie Dookiesingh, Smeldy Ramirez, Lisandra Rickards, Maria Niles, Genesia Tucker, Jean Emmanuel Desmornes and Simon Johnson for their contributions to this blog.

Avast ye, for something grand is stirring in the Caribbean, from Kingston, Jamaica to Georgetown, Guyana. Despite the tempests and tides posed by geographic barriers, climate change, and a high prevalence of noncommunicable diseases, these small islands and countries are on course to become a hub for innovation instead of being at the World’s end. They are determined to leapfrog, and there be a treasure trove of untapped potential in the health sector just waiting to be discovered, “Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate”. 

Innovation tells no tales here! In the Caribbean, it’s a collection of real stories. It’s about investing in good ideas, developing entrepreneurial capabilities, designing with the users, and, most importantly, the collaborative efforts of the private and public sectors. This joint approach brings results to a region with great potential but that is often overlooked. 

In the last four years, IDB Lab has been a beacon of support, embarking on a journey to foster a culture of innovation in the region as part of the IDB’s strategy of ONE Caribbean. From prototyping to ecosystem building and loans, IDB Lab is deploying US $4.6 million in instrumental support and investment in several key initiatives that harness technology to improve access and quality of health service delivery. These initiatives are not just treasures but beacons of hope in the health innovation landscape of the region, supported by the unwavering commitment of IDB Lab. 

• Barbados: The Possibilities Agency, will launch their HealthTech Ecosystem Builder and Incubator Pilot project in 2025. This initiative has the potential to revolutionize healthcare in Barbados and the Caribbean. Through this project, The Possibilities Agency will foster collaboration, knowledge exchange, and boost HealthTech innovations that can result in improved healthcare outcomes through advancements in technology for generations to come. Under the project, startups will receive bespoke incubation services, advisory support, and grants to help them develop prototypes and test HealthTech solutions in real-world curated pilots. The project will create a physical and virtual space to boost networking, and foster partnerships between innovators, universities, public and health facilities. The Possibilities Agency will deliver this project in partnership with FutureBARBADOS, the University of the West Indies – Cave Hill Campus, Ministry of Health and Wellness, along with other key stakeholders. 

• Belize: To assist with the management of Belize’s pandemic response, IDB Lab financed a project  to design and implement a stock tracking solution that would accurately record and report real-time COVID-19 resources needed by healthcare facilities. This customized mobile application supported the Ministry of Health to ensure facility readiness and stock tracking for COVID-19 response. 

• Dominican Republic: IDB Lab, in partnership with Emprende, piloted drones to transport medical supplies in rural areas. This project aimed to increase local primary health services’ response capacity through a cost-effective model. MEDS is expanding the number of patients receiving primary care, focusing on chronic diseases, and developing training and innovation capacities within the primary care system. The project benefits approximately 33,000 patients per year. Grupo Medico Yunen has created an omnichannel platform for citizens’ access to medical services and validated information with rapid responses, diagnoses, treatments, referrals and subsequent follow-up, reducing the burden on health centers and avoiding escalation to critical conditions of those infected by COVID-19 

• Guyana: In partnership with 19Labs, IDB Lab is financing a project to test the use of drones to transport medical supplies between regional hospitals and community health facilities in remote hinterland communities. The project will demonstrate the efficient use of drones to provide medical aid, increasing timely access to healthcare and supporting telemedicine services in remote communities already implemented by the Ministry of Health in partnership with 19Labs. The results will inform the scaling of drone delivery services by the Ministry of Health to increase access to medical supplies since, the healthcare system in Guyana, like many other developing nations, faces numerous challenges, one of which is the efficient distribution and utilization of medical supplies. The geographically diverse landscape of Guyana, with its vast rainforests, rivers, and remote villages, poses significant logistical hurdles for transport of supplies to small communities in the hinterland. Traditional methods of transporting medical supplies by road or river are costly and can take days, which can lead to delays in treatment, spoilage, and waste. The drone solution will be able to facilitate the regular and emergency delivery of medical aid in hours instead of days to last-mile populations. 

• Haiti: DocMobil combines a network of healthcare workers and a telehealth mobile platform to provide mobile care, hospital care, home care, corporate care, and telemedicine throughout Haiti. The project targets 150 healthcare workers and over 3,000 patients without access to care. 

• Jamaica: MDLink is an online medical platform that allows patients to connect remotely with doctors. The project integrates artificial intelligence and teletriage to provide COVID-19 screening and monitor referrals. The primary beneficiaries are 30,000 registered users and the general population of Jamaica. Novamed is building Catalyst, the first health innovation accelerator in the Caribbean.  The project is supporting, catalyzing, and innovating in health and the development of an ecosystem to support and grow new or improved health solutions in the Caribbean region by building out and delivering specialized knowledge, connections, organizational capacity, and partnerships needed to support innovators in this area. It has already conducted knowledge missions to other health ecosystems worldwide and run pitches competitions and cohorts of new health initiatives. 

• Trinidad and Tobago: Medl addresses critical barriers to medication compliance by providing an online platform for prescribing, delivering, and monitoring drugs to patients and can inform health information systems, enhancing patient experience and compliance, especially among the elderly and those with chronic diseases. 

While all these initiatives support improving health service delivery in the region by using innovation to increase equitable access, enhance quality of care, and reduce delivery costs, there is still a place for more innovation, regional integration, and public-private partnerships. The recent meeting between the IDB, PAHO, and Caribbean countries to build the Pan American Highway for Digital Health is a welcomed initiative to construct the foundations and promote the enablers for generating more innovation, which, together with IDB Lab’s ecosystem support and reimbursable investment products, will continue ensuring that innovation tells no tales in the Caribbean, but produces real change and impact. Savvy?