The $136 Solution: How Technology Is Making Life-Saving Healthcare Affordable

When a mother dies in childbirth, the cost extends far beyond the devastating personal loss. The economic impact on families and communities can last for generations. Yet across Africa and Asia, where maternal mortality rates remain stubbornly high, thousands of women continue to lose their lives to preventable causes every year.

The stark reality is this: every two minutes, a woman dies from pregnancy-related causes that could have been prevented with proper medical care. In sub-Saharan Africa alone, approximately 202,000 mothers die annually due to childbirth complications, according to recent WHO data.

What makes these statistics particularly heartbreaking is how preventable many of these deaths are. The treatments exist, the knowledge is there, but the barrier is often simply access to affordable care at the right moment.

The True Cost of Saving a Life

Here’s something that might surprise you: saving a life in some of the world’s most underserved communities costs far less than you might think. Recent data from healthcare programmes operating across Kenya, Nigeria, Cambodia and Bangladesh shows that the average cost of preventing a maternal or child death can be as low as 136 US dollars.

This figure comes from Helpster Charity’s latest annual report, which tracked 786 patient cases through their digital healthcare funding platform in 2024. The organisation, which connects vulnerable patients with critical healthcare funding through technology, found that 458 treatments were completed and paid for at this remarkably low average cost per life saved.

‘In 2024, we saw a 45 percent increase in cases treated and completed, and nearly doubled the number of patients treated during our medical outreaches when compared to 2023 figures,’ said Kate Lysykh, CEO of Helpster. The charity now operates with 59 verified partner hospitals and 91 active volunteers across its target regions.

The treatments funded ranged from managing diabetes and anaemia to emergency caesarean sections and surgery for conditions like hernias. Kenya accounted for nearly half of all cases at 48.8 percent, followed by Nigeria at 39 percent, with Cambodia and Bangladesh making up the remaining 13 percent.

Technology Breaking Down Barriers

What’s particularly striking about these results is how they demonstrate the potential for digital health platforms to revolutionise healthcare access in resource-limited settings. Kenya has already established itself as a leader in mobile health solutions, building on the success of programmes like M-Pesa to extend into healthcare delivery.

The model is elegantly simple: vulnerable patients are connected with donors through a transparent digital platform that ensures funds go directly to verified medical treatments. This cuts through the bureaucracy and inefficiency that often plague traditional aid distribution, getting help to people when they need it most.

Research supports the cost-effectiveness of such approaches. Studies from Uganda and Zambia have shown that comprehensive maternal and newborn health interventions can cost as little as $177-$206 per life-year gained, representing exceptionally good value compared to GDP per capita in these regions.

The broader shift towards technology-enabled healthcare reflects what we’re seeing in other areas of women’s health. Research-led approaches are reshaping the healthcare equity landscape, with digital solutions playing an increasingly important role in addressing health disparities for underserved communities.

Beyond the Numbers: Real Impact

The true measure of success goes beyond individual treatments. Helpster’s eight medical outreach campaigns brought free health screenings to 3,500 people in remote areas with limited healthcare infrastructure. Of those screened, 1,485 received immediate treatment, while 54 were enrolled for more advanced care through the main funding programme.

This two-tiered approach – immediate intervention for treatable conditions and referral pathways for complex cases – addresses one of the biggest challenges in maternal and child health: knowing when and where to seek care.

Digital health innovations in Nigeria are showing similar promise, with platforms providing expert-led information and resources to mothers throughout pregnancy and beyond. The combination of technology and human health coaches is proving particularly effective in bridging knowledge gaps.

The Bigger Picture

While individual success stories inspire hope, the scale of the challenge remains enormous. Fifteen countries in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia are still classified as having high and alarming levels of maternal and neonatal mortality.

The current global maternal mortality ratio stands at 223 deaths per 100,000 live births – more than three times higher than the United Nations target of 70 deaths by 2030. Reaching that target requires urgent action and new solutions.

What’s encouraging is that this focus on accessible healthcare technology isn’t limited to developing countries. Even in wealthy nations, we’re seeing new approaches to women’s health emerge. Critical gaps in modern healthcare for midlife women are being addressed through more integrated and accessible care models.

What programmes like Helpster’s demonstrate is that technology can be a powerful equaliser. By creating transparent, efficient pathways for funding and care, digital platforms can help ensure that a woman’s survival doesn’t depend on where she happens to live or how much money her family has.

The question isn’t whether we have the tools to prevent maternal and child mortality – we do. The question is whether we have the will to scale these solutions and make them accessible to all who need them. At an average cost of just over £100 per life saved, the investment required pales in comparison to the human cost of inaction.