On the 17 of January 2017, at 11 am in the conference room of MINSANTE, the
Minister of Public Health, Andre Mama Fouda in the presence of the Ministers of
Scientific Research and Innovation, Industry, Mines and Technological
Development had the official reception ceremony of the first 20 batches of the
tactile tablet for medical use called CARDIOPAD, Implemented by the 29 year old
Cameroonian engineer Mr.
Arthur Zang for district hospitals.
This is a device that allows remote transmission of test results to cardiologists. A boon for the inhabitants of rural areas. Cardiopad is a tablet with ordinary appearance but can save lives. It allows anyone, even if only briefly trained; to measure the cardiac physiological data of patients. Indeed, thanks to this tablet, the frequency of the pulses or the duration of the "RR intervals" (heart rate variability) between two beats can be calculated, visualized and recorded and simultaneously transmitted to a cardiologist so that he can make a diagnosis. The device spares African patients living in remote areas the trouble of having to travel to urban centers to seek medical examinations.
According to Zang, the Cardiopad is "the first fully
touch screen medical tablet made in Cameroon and in Africa.” He believes it is
an invention that could save numerous human lives, and says the reliability of
the pad device is as high as 97.5%. Zang says he invented the device in order
to facilitate the treatment of patients with heart disease across Cameroon and
the rest of Africa. So far, several medical tests have been carried out with the
Cardiopad which have been validated by the Cameroonian scientific community.
Cameroon, a Central African country with a population of
some 22 million people, lays claim to only 30 heart surgeons (as of 2012). To
make matters worse, these heart surgeons are mainly concentrated in Douala or
Yaoundé, Cameroon’s two most important economic hubs. This severe deficit of
medical personnel means that patients with heart ailments usually have to
travel long distances to undergo heart examinations and consult with doctors.
Even at that, it is still not easy. On some occasions, patients must make
appointments months in advance, and some even die in the process of waiting for
their appointment.
Zang believes his invention will cut down the cost of heart
examinations. The Cardiopad is already generating a lot of interest in African
tech and medical circles. Mr Zang's invention has received several awards including
the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation by the UK's Royal Academy of
Engineering, Rolex Awards for Enterprise and more.
For inquiries and more info on the Cardiopad, See: https://himore-medical.com/
Visit MINSANTE website for verification of Info!
