A vision for health tech that is available to all

Jaehyeok Kim, CEO of Letinar, displays the company's Advanced AR Smart glasses at the Gitex technology show in Dubai on Monday. Pawan Singh / The National

Technical innovation and human health have – sometimes literally – been in lockstep for millennia. An impressive example can be found in Cairo’s National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation. There, visitors can see one of the world's oldest prosthetics – a wooden toe dated back as far as 950BC that archaeologists believe helped an ancient noblewoman get around. Far from being a primitive aid, the hardwood toe’s advanced craftsmanship shows it was made to be robust, practical and comfortable.

Many of the 6,500 exhibitors from over 180 countries who are in Dubai for this year’s Gitex – the Middle East’s longest-running technology show – are walking much the same path, developing cutting-edge science that has the potential to improve millions of people’s quality of life.

Korean engineers at tech company LetinAR are exhibiting glasses that can deliver real-time patient information to help with complicated surgery. Another Korean firm, Mandro, has developed an exoskeleton glove that can restore grip strength for those who may have lost the use of their hands through chronic arthritis. Dubai-based Xpanceo’s smart lenses can detect early signs of glaucoma, resolve colour blindness and myopia, and monitor important health indicators, such as blood pressure.

The ingenuity on display is impressive, but a perennial issue with such health technology remains: how can we ensure that as many people as possible have access to such devices? It is in companies’ interest to have their product reach as many customers as possible – Xpanceo says a year’s supply of it smart lenses is expected to cost about as much as an iPhone – but many in middle and lower-income countries would still struggle to afford such health solutions.

Certainly, there are ways to incentivise companies and manufacturers into reducing costs for healthcare providers and individuals. Direct subsidies and tax incentives for businesses that develop or implement affordable health technologies is one way for governments to play their part. Public-private partnerships between public and private sectors can be an efficient way of funding research and development into affordable technologies. Indeed, the UAE has a considerable track record of supporting innovative healthcare ideas.

But there is a vast reservoir of smart, accessible and affordable health solutions coming from a different part of the tech market: the developing world. One approach has been called frugal innovation. This is when device designs and materials are re-engineered to be simpler and sustainable, often making use of locally available materials to make them cheaper to buy and operate.

From using cheap mosquito net mesh for hernia repairs or special drill covers that allow ordinary power tools to be used safely for surgery, there is no shortage of solutions that are both ingenious and affordable. The Tata Swach water purifier developed in India uses processed rice husk to provide clean water without the need for electricity. Even some manufacturers in the developed world have got in on the act – a good example is GE’s MAC 400, a handheld ECG machine that costs about $800 and has dramatically cut the cost of ECG scans in developing nations.

Such ingenuity and entrepreneurship, coupled with more generic technologies, open-source health tech platforms and meaningful business co-operation can not only complement even the most cutting-edge technology on display at Gitex, it could bring life-changing health solutions to more people than ever. As Gitex brings together the most innovative elements of technology, improving people’s lives remains a top priority.