Sandoz announces winners of inaugural Healthcare Access Challenge (Sandoz HACk)

Three winners, chosen by expert panel at Wired Health 2017 in London, identified innovative approaches to address access challenges in Ghana, the Maldives and the Philippines. Winning ideas proposed novel ways to use mobile technologies to connect patients with caregivers and essential medicines Sandoz invited young people worldwide to "reimagine access to healthcare" - arguably the largest unmet medical need - Sandoz, a Novartis Division, announced today the three winners of the inaugural Healthcare Access Challenge ( Sandoz HACk ). The winners, chosen by a panel of judges at the event in London, identified innovative approaches to address challenges in Ghana, the Maldives and the Philippines. The winning ideas all proposed novel ways to use mobile technologies to connect patients with caregivers and essential medicines, addressing access issues specific to their country but with the potential for solutions to be applied elsewhere. The three winners were chosen from six finalists, out of a total of approximately 150 ideas submitted from 30 countries. All six presented their ideas to a panel of judges at Wired Health 2017, as part of the HACk "Live in London 2017" event. Announcing the winners, Sandoz CEO and Division Head Richard Francis said: "Despite all the advances in modern medicine, universal access to healthcare is still arguably the single largest unmet medical need for people around the world." He added: "We believe that the biggest changes often come from amazing, small ideas - and that the only thing standing between a good idea and a great idea is often just a bit of support at the right time.