A young Cameroonian engineer has built the first fully touch screen medical tablet that could soon save many African lives. He first has to find the necessary funding to mass-produce the device.
by Anne Mireille Nzouankeu, Yaoundé
In a country that has only 30 heart surgeons for more than 20 million people, the dream of Arthur Zang, a 24-year-old Cameroonian engineer, is to facilitate the treatment of patients with a heart disease across Cameroon.
Save lives
In 2010, he created a digital tablet known as Cardiopad: “It’s the first fully touch screen medical tablet made in Cameroon and in Africa. It’s an invention that could save numerous human lives”, explains Arthur Zang.
In fact, Cameroon’s thirty heart specialists are all based in either Douala or Yaoundé, the country’s economic and political capitals. Heart patients often have to travel across the country for a consultation.
Appointments sometimes must be made months in advance, leading to death of some patients.
Hassle of travelling
The Cardiopad solves this problem by enabling medical examinations to be performed remotely and the results transmitted electronically, saving patients the hassle of having to travel to the city.
Arthur Zang explains that the Cardiopad is above all a scientific project. He started his research three years ago and carried out several scientific tests that were validated by the Cameroonian scientific community. “The reliability of the Cardiopad is 97.5%”, he says.
Distance consultation
In practice, the Cardiopad is a device that can perform tests such as the electrocardiogram (ECG). The medical tablet also makes it possible to wirelessly send the results of the tests from remote locations to the specialist who will then interpret them.
“The tablet is used as a classical electrocardiograph device: electrodes are placed on the patient and connected to a module that, in turn, connects to the tablet. When a medical examination is performed on a patient in a remote village, for example, the results are transmitted from the nurse’s tablet to that of the doctor who then interprets them.
Digitalised and transmitted
Software built into the device allow the doctor to give computer assisted diagnosis”, explains the young engineer.
Pointing out the differences between the Cardiopad and the classical electrocardiograph, Arthur Zang explains: “The Cardiopad has more functions. With the classical electrocardiograph, the results were usually printed on paper and handed to the cardiologist for interpretation.
It wasn’t possible to send or save the results electronically. With the Cardiopad, the results are digitalised and transmitted. There is no need to print them, the heart surgeon can interpret them, even remotely, from his tablet and then send the diagnosis and prescribed treatment”
Accessibility
“The Cardiopad will cut down the cost of examination. We intend to sell the device for 1500 euros, while the current price for an electrocardiograph device is 3800 euros. If hospitals purchase the device at a low price, they will be able to lower the prices of medical examinations”, Arthur Zang hopes.
However, there is still the issue of energy, as many of the country’s remote regions do not have access to electricity. “The Cardiopad is equipped with a battery that can independently power the machine for more than seven hours”, the engineer assures.
He further explains that a prototype and sample of device is already available. “We are currently producing the first units of the device which will be available for hospitals before July”, says the young engineer who is still looking for funding to mass-produce the Cardiopad. “Besides the funding, I am also looking to start a company to help improve the medical care system in Cameroon”, he concludes.
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Making Africa PROUD !
Can I talk to this guy;interview for www.humanipo.com
Congratulations ¡¡¡ It is a very good device for the poor and far away population.
I am interested in more information to use your medical device in my country.
Best Regards
Luis
Well done Arthur Zang. I am proud of your achievement and hope that this will encourage other Cameroonians and Africans in general to overcome their inertia in the area of science and technology and revive those potentials that surely lie somewhere inside the people of that great continent. I pray that any intervention by the government or outside forces should aim at giving this invention all the support it needs for the benefit of mankind.
Great job,
I believe in the future every hospital will need this device
The millions that the thief at the helm of government spends a day in Europe could fund the production of this device. Mark my word, the chinese that have flooded the country are now producing this product to ship it back to Africa.Legal experts in the diaspora better get to this kid and ask him to sit on this golded egg tight. What a blessed nation handed to a bandit.
This is excellent invention and I need more information. It will cut down most of the hospital visits. I hope he has patented it before someone steal idea. Where can we see the prototype and actually perform some Testing?
This is excellent invention and I need more information. It will cut down most of the hospital visits. I hope he has patented it before someone steal idea. Where can we see the prototype and actually perform some Testing?
Great Job, Arthur Zang, it take a great deal of effort to do that. What ?funding, if you cann't get one turn to the Cameroonian public starting with those in Diaspora. We will make it to the market. Wounderful invention! May god guide your way and let this entighten us that we Africans 'we can too' I am personally ready to help.
Is it an invention or an innovative step? Patent right taken care of? Be careful that these hawks called whites do not hijack your endeavours!!
This is a worthwhile invention and worthy of praise, coming from a very personal investment and little support from either a Gov't backed research council or capital funders. The young shall grow, slowly but surely. Excellent! more grease to Zang'z elbows.
It is about time the world allowed us and recognized our contributions to global development. Africans have developed and invented so many things and gadgets, but the so-called Developed World as done everything in their powers to either blackmail the inventions or destroyed the inventors.
We hope some benevolent Cameroonian or rich humanitarian will step in at this time to assist the young man to pattern or market this invention and truly realize the financial and political rewards that attend to this gigantic venture.
Congratulations Mr. Zang and more grease to your elbows.
This is great. Can someone send to me this guy's phone number.
This is awesome, bright light in the dark! Keep keeping on!
This article is really helpful, where is there any contact info in the event V.C's want to support this project though...?
I appreciate your efforts and Talent my Dear Arthur Zang. I pray God continue to shower you with honor and blessings so that you be a blessing to the Cameroonian population.Thank you for the efforts and my ears are open for more developments. We are proud of you.
Wonderful invention. I'm glad this is coming out of Africa and by an African.
I'm wondering how the device will send results electronically. Is there internet service in remote areas in Cameroun?
Hi All,
Excellent invention. Very interesting your product. Where can we see the prototype? Which firm and where are the products manufacture?
We entend to lauch a mHealth (VAS) services in Cameroon, what do you think about it?
Best
Philippe
Good invention. This will be helpfull to all people in the world.
I have read the article and I must say that I am extremely moved by the impact that this can have on Cameroon patients. I am also a Cameroon native that lives in the state and I wanted to know how I can get along with helping the product reach the market, usually in terms of funding.
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