The Consortium for Affordable Medical Technologies (CAMTech) India which aims to accelerate medical technology innovation for reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH) in India will hold its second annual hack-a-thon (Jugaad-a-thon) from June 26-28, 2015 at the GE’s John F. Welch Technology Centre in Bengaluru.

The three-day event is organized in partnership with Lattice Innovations and hosted by GE Healthcare India, and will bring together some of the world’s brightest minds to develop innovative and affordable health technologies that can help save the lives of women and children across India.

“We are building on the success of last year’s Jugaad-a-thon to tackle important challenges like newborn survival, safe births and family planning,” said Elizabeth Bailey, director, CAMTech.

“We are pleased to partner with CAMTech once again to help spur the innovation of accessible, affordable healthcare solutions for a healthier world,” said Milan Rao, president and chief executive officer, GE Healthcare South Asia.

The Jugaad-a-thon will be preceded by a clinical summit, with clinicians, healthcare workers, government public health experts and patients in India to identify the most pressing RMNCH needs and best practices in delivering care. The summit will also include a technology showcase for early-stage and newly marketed medical technologies that aim to improve quality and access for RMNCH in India.

This year’s event includes monetary prizes of Rs. 9 lakhs for top innovations that focus on specific RMNCH challenges including a USAID-sponsored award of Rs. 1.5 lakh for the team that best addresses its challenge in the field of family planning and reproductive health. Other awards include those sponsored by CAMTech/USAID, GE Healthcare, Merck for Mothers and a special post-Jugaad-a-thon award from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Terumo India for the top two innovations that make the most progress 30 days after the event. Teams will be judged by a panel of experts from public health, engineering and business, reflecting CAMTech’s cross-sector approach to innovation.

Since 2012, CAMTech has brought together over 1,500 innovators from over  300 clinical, academic and commercial organisations.