The problem
Patients in rural Cameroon must travel hundreds of kilometres to reach one of the country's very few cardiologists.
The innovation
A touchscreen tablet with ECG electrodes that records a heart trace locally and transmits it over the mobile network for specialist reading.
How it worked
Local nurse captures the trace; the reading is sent to a cardiologist's device, and the diagnosis returns to the clinic.
Why it mattered
Deployed in Cameroonian hospitals and clinics; recognised by the Rolex Award for Enterprise in 2014.
The legacy
A model for medical devices engineered around mobile networks and scarce specialists.
Sources
Rolex Award for Enterprise laureate record, 2014
Institutional record
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