Kijenzi aims to improve health care in Africa through 3D printing

Kijenzi engineer Alenna Beroza, is developing solutions to deliver medical equipment using a surprising method — 3D printing.
There has been certain huge challenges in bringing health care to those in need like broken machinery, outdated supply chains and a limited access to specialty equipment and these challenges leaves Kenyan clinics with various critical challenges and therefore Kijenzi is hoping to change that.

Kijenzi, who are grown in the Penn State College of Engineering, Kijenzi’s original intention was to create an easily moveable 3D printer to quickly produce health equipment like braces, clamps and vacuum pumps at low cost.

By working in the Kenyan community, the inventors soon become fully aware that the lack of 3D printers wasn’t the problem. What was really required was entrance to the CAD design files needed to print the equipment.
This changed the teams’s aim and focus from printing to developing a system that allows hospitals to have permission to these files and to trained people to print the parts.

Clinics in Kenya using the Kijenzi system can now produce or “print” the equipment and instrument they need and when they need it.

Director of the Penn State Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship (HESE) program and the co-founder of Kijenzi, John K. Gershenson, said, “Our customers are health care facilities that don’t have permission to the supply chains they require and over 40 percent don’t have the instrument needed to operate their patients. We bring the potential to locally manufacture what they need and when they need it. That is a game changer for permit to treatment.”

The Kijenzi venture team is using Penn State knowledge and expertise to bring 3D printing to rural Kenyan health care facilities. 3D printing can help these facilities manufacture and produce hard-to-get items like anatomical models, replacement parts, and job-related therapy devices.

The Kijenzi system has the ability and capability to impact many people lacking permit to necessary medical equipment in Kenya and around the globe.
Kijenzi has already had requests for nearly 400 different parts in its system. It has broad-reaching suggestions for medical education and other institutional uses as well.

After consequential testing and merging, Kijenzi is now preparing to launch an beginning program (its MVP) in Kenya this May.

TANZANIANS will soon start accessing new health insurance packages

National Health Insurance Fund (NHIT) to announce Health Insurance Packages soon.
The fund announced last year that it would launch new health scheme packages that would allow more people to join the health scheme depending on their financial capability.
This scheme is designed by the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).

Angela Mziray, NHIF Public Relations Manager, told the ‘Sunday News’ at the weekend that the process was in an advanced stage and it was expected to be closed this month.

Ms Mziray noted, “This is a huge plan, which will allow more people to join the health insurance scheme, particularly those, who were not able to acquire health services due to limited financial possibilities.”

She further added that the entire process had involved different authorities such as the Ministry of Health, Community Development Gender, Elderly and Children that also gave their views and opinions to improve the packages.
She, however, noted that views from various stakeholders were taken into consideration during planning for the new packages.

This process is now in final stages and we expect it will be closed early or late this month,” Ms Mziray demanded.

Ms Mziray said the introduction of the new packages was in accordance with the government’s intention to boost the health insurance cover to the majority of Tanzanians, who had been missing out on health services.

At a meeting with reporters in Dar es Salaam late last year, NHIF Acting Director General Mbaruku Magawa said the packages would provide a wide range of choices and options and allow Tanzanians to contribute depending on their financial capacity and extend the health insurance coverage.

He explained that the packages had been designed taking into consideration people’s needs, income and treatment cost, adding that the plan was set to take off soon.

“The packages will enable a person to decide whether to join as an individual or include a number of beneficiaries of his/her choice… this is very unfavourable because it broadens the choice of beneficiaries,” he noted.

A report released last year by religious leaders under the umbrella of Interfaith Tanzania, including the Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC), Bakwata and the CCT advised that 64 per cent of Tanzanians had no health insurance cover.

Statistics show that 32 per cent of Tanzanians have health insurance cover, 8 per cent are members of NHIF, 23 per cent are members of Community Health Fund (CHF), whereas 1 per cent are members of private health insurance companies.

After NHIF comes up with suggestions it consults other authorities for further improvements.

Health Centres in Chamwino to receive medical equipment worth over 10m/- from NMB

NMB (NATIONAL Microfinance Bank Plc) Supports Chamwino Health Centres ny donating medical equipment worth over 10m/- to Membe and Handali Health Centres in Chamwino District, Dodoma Region.

The donations were encouraged by the government prioritizing health of its citizens in its agenda, said NMB Central Zone Manager, Nsolo Mlozi.

Mlozi also stated saying “We are struggling to see into it that in our part of our Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR), health institutions have enough medical equipment in their units.”
The Manager further said his bank has set aside one per cent of its income to accomodate local communities.

Handali Health Centre Doctor-in-Charge, Dr Enock Chitalasita, said the equipment would help about 7,376 residents from Handali, Mjelo, Chanhumba, Igandu, Nghahelezi, Miganga, Chinoje, Mgunga and Ndebwe villages to get reliable healthcare.

Dr Chitalasita further said his health institution also serves for the villages outside Mvumi Ward as far as other districts of Mpwapwa, Kongwa and Bahi.

However, Chamwino District Commissioner, Vumilia Nyamoga challenged the Health Centres’ managements to protect the equipment for the well being of the patients and other coming generations.

Vumilia Nyamoga thanked the bank for partnering with the government to help the local community.