(Business in Cameroon) - Since 2016 when it launched the commercialization of Cardiopad, the first African medical tablet, Himore Medical has equipped 267 health centers in Cameroon. Arthur Zang, the inventor of Cardiopad, told Cameroon Tribune that this year alone, the Cameroonian Ministry of Defence has ordered 30 of the device from Himore Medical to equip the various military hospitals around the country. 

According to the young engineer, every year in Cameroon, 60 hospitals acquire the medical device, which is currently manufactured following a make-to-order approach. 

Thanks to the medical equipment, cardiac screening can be performed on patients and sent remotely to specialists for analysis without even moving the patients to urban areas where heart specialists are usually located.  

Time has passed since 2015 when the first phase of the manufacturing of these medical devices was stalled because the inventor needed XAF20 million to continue the manufacturing phase. 

"The Ministry of Public Health was supposed to award us contracts to equip some hospitals. We were expecting the financial resources from those transactions to fund final adjustments,” Arthur Zang explained at the time. 

At first, Cardiopad, which is sold at XAF2 million per device, was adopted by specialists outside the country. For instance, in April 2016, Arthur Zang revealed that only 43 out of the 300 Cardiopads sold were bought in Cameroon; 50% of the overall number sold were bought by specialists in Gabon while the remaining 50% were bought in Cameroon, India, and Nepal. 

In January 2017, the company delivered the first 20 cardiopads ordered by the Ministry of Public Health to Minister André Mama Fouda. Since then, local specialists’ interest in the equipment, celebrated by numerous awards, seems to be rising. The Covid-19 pandemic that boosted remote services also seems to have contributed to the growing adoption of the cardiopad. 

According to credible sources, Himore Medical is preparing for the launch of two new medical devices, apart from cardiopad. Those new devices are namely a glucometer and a blood pressure monitor.  the launch of two new medical devices. Apart from diversifying the range of equipment offered by the company, those new creations will promote the local production of some medical equipment. 

Brice R. Mbodiam