Many people in Africa cannot access the healthcare they need. This might be because it is too expensive, or because a hospital is too far away. Most people in rural areas rely on local clinics, which often do not have all the resources they need. This means that diagnosing illnesses (finding out if someone is ill) can be difficult.
A group of researchers, called the AMPATH group, is working to try and tackle this problem in Kenya. They have created a ‘Mobile Diagnostics Unit’ (MDU). This is a van that carries special equipment to rural clinics, helping them to diagnose illnesses.
WHAT ARE ‘DIAGNOSTICS’?
‘Diagnostics’ means running tests to find out if someone is unwell. This could be a blood test, or a test on a urine sample.
Another method of diagnostics is ‘medical imaging’. Medical staff use different techniques to take pictures of parts of the body. The most common kind of medical image is an X Ray image. X Rays images are most often used to look at broken bones.
Diagnostic tests mean doctors can find illnesses before patients show symptoms. This makes the illness much easier to treat.
WHAT DOES THE MDU HAVE?
The MDU has the equipment it needs to perform tests that would normally take place in a hospital. This includes tests for pregnancy and meningitis. The MDU can also diagnose and monitor HIV. These are done by a trained technician. The patient normally finds out the results straight away.
The MDU also an X Ray machine, which is powered by an on-board electricity generator. This is very useful, as X Ray images of the chest can be used to detect tuberculosis (TB). TB is a very serious illness that causes coughing, fever and weight loss. It is also very contagious, meaning it spreads between people very easily. Almost half of Kenyan people who have TB never find out they have it, so they never get the treatment they need. Finding TB early means that it can be treated more easily, making it is less likely to spread.
THE FUTURE OF THE MDU
Although the MDU is very useful, it cannot solve all of Africa’s healthcare problems. The MDU can help people find illnesses earlier, but many will still struggle to find treatment for those illnesses. More still needs to be done to bring healthcare to rural areas.
However, the first MDU has been considered a success. It has given many people useful information about their health. In the future, more MDUs could be used to give even more people access to its services.
