Africa: Off-the-Shelf Tech Solutions for Africa

In high school, Catherine Gordon-Grant was nicknamed Cathematics, such was her love for maths. But it's in the applied field that the budding biomedical engineer, a master's student at the University of Cape Town (UCT), finds meaning and purpose, especially when the solutions, usually medical devices, are inexpensive, locally applicable - and accessible.

Gordon-Grant is part of the Medical Devices Laboratory's OpenAir Ventilation project, which started before lockdown kicked in - the lab's members identified the need long before it became critical. The low-cost, continuous positive airway pressure solution uses off-the-shelf components, such as aquarium pumps, and leverages existing hospital infrastructure to give critically ill patients a continuous stream of pressurised air and high levels of oxygen through a mask. This keeps airways open and prevents lung collapse.

...

AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.