A STORY OF CAMEROONIAN ARTHUR ZANG
Arthur Zang is a Cameroonian computer scientist whose invention has received a good amount of international hype, and with good reason. Arthur realized the struggles of finding a cardio specialist in the rural areas of Cameroon. In fact, according to OK Africa, the ratio was at about 1 cardiovascular specialist to every 366,667 Cameroonians. To make matters worse, most of these specialists were secluded to the economic hubs of Cameroon. But Arthur Zang resolved to find a solution to this problem. His solution came in the form of a product called Cardiopad.
Cardiopad, invented in 2014, was the first touch screen medical tablet developed in the continent of Africa. Using a combination of free computer programs, Arthur Zang pieced together this dynamic piece of equipment that takes diagnostic heart examinations and allows rural medical workers to wirelessly, transmit the results to a specialist in an urban area. Though his invention was from three years ago, seeing it become a reality that could be mass produced was a painstaking 2-year process that has finally made his dream a realization.
Cardiopad has received a number of awards. It received a cash prize of around 37,000 US dollars for winning the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation at the UK’s Royal Academy of Engineering in Tanzania. It also received a Rolex Award for Enterprise. What we find particularly impressive about this invention, however, is the fact that its inventor was not trained in medical science.
The device is being provided to rural centers all over the country for free. Moreover, patients with frequent heart issues or with heart diseases can subscribe to have one of these at the low rate of 29 dollars a year. Sales of the product only recently began late last year.