Idea-to-market: Product innovation sustainability in challenging health-care context

Abstract

The challenge of sustainable development is now recognized worldwide. There are large numbers of products locally innovated to suit particular context. However these are never available in the market in absence of their commercial manufacture that can have been mutually beneficial to innovators and users and also to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Design aspect concerns emergency medical transportation services to marginalized people of the society in rural areas. A case in hand is rural health service in rural areas of India; National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) has launched boat clinic to make health services available to the rural population. But many places in North Eastern India are totally inaccessible by road. In this respect, design of amphibian featured new tricycle ambulance was initiated and the acceptance by the beneficiaries were studied and the research works has given very positive results and this work has established the vital contribution of design for bringing this innovation to market.