TED: Medical tech designed to meet Africa's needs | Soyapi Mumba

The speaker discusses their passion for technology and the challenges faced in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in healthcare. They joined Baobab Health to develop an electronic health record system tailored for Malawi's needs. The system includes innovative solutions like unique patient IDs and modified soundex for name matching. They adapted technology to local conditions, using touch screen terminals and building a wireless network. The system significantly improved healthcare efficiency, drawing global interest in Malawi's approach.

What challenges are highlighted by the speaker in sub-Saharan Africa's healthcare system?

• Overabundance of medical staff

• Lack of interest in technology

• Frequent power outages and understaffed hospitals

• High cost of medical treatments

What was the primary goal of Baobab Health when the speaker joined?

• To develop locally suitable healthcare interventions

• To reduce the cost of healthcare

• To import technology systems from Silicon Valley

• To increase the number of hospitals

How did the electronic health record system help healthcare workers in Malawi?

• By embedding clinical guidelines to assist with patient care

• By providing entertainment during work

• By eliminating the need for medical staff

• By reducing the number of patients

What method was used to uniquely identify patients in Malawi?

• Using their phone numbers

• Assigning unique patient IDs with barcodes

• Assigning random numbers

• Using their email addresses

What was the impact of using barcoded IDs on patient wait times?

• Made wait times unpredictable

• Significantly reduced wait times

• No change in wait times

• Increased wait times

How did the team adapt technology for use in Malawi's healthcare system?

• By importing the latest smartphones

• By repurposing retail point-of-sale terminals

• By relying on solar power exclusively

• By using only paper records

What was a key technical innovation to support data transmission in rural hospitals?

• Using satellite phones

• Building their own wireless network

• Relying on postal services

• Using carrier pigeons