'Frugal' medical devices set to help developing countries

A hand-powered centrifuge, an inflatable donkey saddle for women in labour and a waterless toilet that encases waste in biodegradable film were among the devices showcased at a conference on affordable medical technology this week, which saw the announcement of a funding call to support companies working in this field.

The Technology Strategy Board (TSB) used the event at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in London to reveal it was planning a competition to fund innovations that could make healthcare more affordable in poorer countries but that also have a clear commercial appeal.

‘The question is how to provide affordable healthcare to seven billion people when over one billion are living on less than $1 a day,’ said the TSB’s medtech specialist, Dr Neil Morgan. ‘It’s not just about cost cutting. It’s about making things cheaper and better.’

The conference heard that such technologies also need to be appropriate for parts of developing world where electricity supplies, medical and technical expertise can be limited or non-existent, and where dusty or humid conditions can make traditional devices unsuitable.