AirStrip, Batswadi announce strategic partnership to bring AirStrip products into Africa

AirStrip® and The Batswadi Group have announced a strategic partnership to bring the AirStrip ONE® mobile interoperability platform and the Sense4Baby wireless fetal/maternal monitoring system into ten African countries, with an initial launch in South Africa.

Batswadi will gradually expand the AirStrip product rollout to nine other countries, including Namibia, Botswana, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Mauritius and Rwanda.

"South Africa has some of the most advanced hospitals in the world and benefits from a very developed private hospital infrastructure," The Batswadi Group CEO, Christopher Whitfield, said. "Major players like Netcare, Life Healthcare, Mediclinic and several large independent groups create significant market opportunities for AirStrip not only in South Africa but also in other emerging countries. We are delighted to be partnering with AirStrip."

Batswadi was established in South Africa in 2006 by Whitfield, former CEO of Eli Lilly South Africa, to introduce innovative cutting-edge technology to the African continent. Batswadi seeks technology that assists in rapid country development in the healthcare space for the private as well as the public or government sectors. Batswadi recently expanded to include Batswadi USA to bring U.S. based health care technology into Sub-Saharan Africa.

"The Batswadi Group is an established leader in launching innovative healthcare products, and we look forward to deploying AirStrip mobile interoperability solutions in Africa," AirStrip CEO Alan Portela said. "We have seen an extraordinary level of international interest in AirStrip solutions, so this is just one in a series of announcements as AirStrip rapidly grows its presence outside the U.S. in 2015."

Portela noted the exceptionally high level of demand for both the AirStrip ONE platform and the Sense4Baby system. AirStrip ONE enables care collaboration by uniting multiple data types from multiple vendors and care settings into a single platform and solution to meet a wide range of clinical requirements and workflows. AirStrip acquired Sense4Baby, Inc. assets in March 2014. Sense4Baby, a wireless system to perform non-stress testing for high-risk pregnancies, received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and a CE mark from the European Commission in 2013 to commercialize its medical device in clinical settings.