Butterfly Network, Clinton Health Access Initiative, and Global Ultrasound Institute Partner to Advance Maternal and Fetal Health in South Africa

Butterfly Network, Inc. (“Butterfly”, “the Company”), a digital health company transforming care with portable, semiconductor-based ultrasound technology and intuitive software, announced a tripartite collaboration with implementing partner Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) (a global health organization committed to saving lives, reducing the burden of disease and strengthening health systems), and training partner Global Ultrasound Institute (GUSI) (a global leader in ultrasound education). As of today, the organizations have initiated Phase Two of Butterfly's 1,000 iQ+ probe deployment and point-of-care ultrasound training program for maternal and fetal health in Sub-Saharan Africa. The program is funded by the $5M grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that was previously announced by Butterfly in March 2022 and is part of the Gates Foundation's efforts to ensure more women receive ultrasounds and benefit from life-saving diagnostic tools. In Phase One, 500 iQ+ handheld, whole-body probes were successfully distributed across Kenya in Q4 2022.

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Healthcare workers in Eastern Cape, South Africa enrolled in a week-long Butterfly point-of-care ultrasound training program. (Photo: Business Wire)

Phase Two of the program, titled Siyakubona (meaning “we see you” in Zulu), will distribute the remaining 500 iQ+ devices to healthcare workers across up to six provinces in South Africa. The device distribution and training efforts began today in the first province, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Here, approximately 50 mid-level practitioners have been enrolled in a week-long training program facilitated by GUSI. The course will provide health workers with the skills and confidence to conduct obstetric ultrasound screenings for key indicators, such as baby’s position or presence of multiples, that are fundamental to quality pregnancy care, as well as for identifying high-risk conditions.

"Butterfly is proud to continue improving maternal health equity through Phase Two of the largest-scale handheld ultrasound distribution and training ever conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa. South Africa is an emerging market that continues to have disproportionately high rates of maternal mortality and stillbirth. Patients need easier access to antenatal imaging, and clinicians need better capabilities for screening high-risk conditions that lead to disproportionately worse pregnancy outcomes in rural areas in the public sector,” said Dr. Sachita Shah, Sr. Director, Global Health, Butterfly Network. “Together with CHAI and GUSI, we can tackle this by making ultrasound much more accessible, so high-risk conditions can be identified earlier in care, which is known to improve outcomes.”