Sparking Innovation through Global Health Partnerships

Mosquito netting has been used to repair inguinal hernias in low and middle-income countries (LMIC) since the 1990s due to the unaffordable cost of commercial hernia mesh. Since early 2000 there have been numerous publications on the outcomes. They have all reported mosquito netting as being a safe and effective alternative. The popularity of its use has grown due to charities like Hernia International and from awareness raised by prominent figures in public health.

We decided to source our own mesh material direct from a factory which we then cut, packaged and sterilised. Since 2015 we have been donating our custom-made mesh to KCMC hospital in Tanzania instead of the mosquito netting.

Then we asked the question: why do we in the NHS continue to spend millions of pounds per year on Hernia mesh when mosquito netting has proven to be just as effective at a fraction of a cost?

Despite its popularity, nobody has yet attempted to adapt this concept for use here in the United Kingdom to help reduce costs without compromising safety.