After missing university lectures due to chronic malaria, Brian Gitta, 24, developed Matibabu, a device that tests for malaria without a blood test. The diagnosis is ready to be shared to a mobile phone in a minute.
His innovation was the 2018 winner of the Royal Academy’s Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation proving that solutions can come from personal experience and our day-to-day struggles.
Matibabu, which means ‘treatment’ in Swahili, is a low-cost, reusable device that requires no expertise to use and gives results in minutes. The device clips onto a patient’s finger and shines a red beam through the user’s finger, detecting changes in the shape, colour and concentration of red blood cells, all of which are used to detect malaria.
Matibabu is currently undergoing testing in partnership with Mulago Hospital and is sourcing suppliers for the sensitive magnetic and laser components required to scale up production. Once this phase has been completed, the device will be marketed to individuals, health centres and diagnostic suppliers.
For his medical solution, Gitta won £25 000 (124 million Ugandan shillings).