Nonprofit organisation Rhiza Babuyile has started field-testing, for one year, a new mobile preclinical care platform prototype unit in Mpumalanga.

The mobile care platform, developed and handed over on March 3 by researchers from Germany’s Fraunhofer Institutes for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST and for Solar Energy Systems ISE, in collaboration with Stellenbosch University and the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), aims to unlock comprehensive preclinical care in even the most remote areas of Africa.

Fraunhofer researchers, within the framework of the PreCare project, are developing the mobile preclinical care platform, mounted on a commercially available pick-up truck, to enable preventive examinations, tests and vaccinations to be carried out in less accessible areas, says Fraunhofer IST deputy director and project coordinator Dr Lothar Schäfer.

The care unit provides storage space and energy supply for diverse medical devices, active substances and tests.

The overall concept, implemented by the Fraunhofer ISE, includes further modular care elements, such as a water-treatment plant, a unit for the on-site production of disinfectants on demand, a refrigerator and a telecommunications unit.

“The required power supply is provided by photovoltaic modules and a battery, as the self-sufficient flexible use of all the components is an essential prerequisite for the successful application in the target region,” explains Fraunhofer ISE project manager Dr-Ing Joachim Koschikowski.

Rhiza Babuyile is the commissioning of the first prototype of the care unit, which is mounted on a Volkswagen Amarok, with the medicines, vaccines and examination equipment such as blood pressure gauges or electrocardiograms on board to enable rapid primary care to be provided on site, says Rhiza Babuyile COO Rodney Makube.

“We are proud to be involved in the PreCare project. We will now spend a year testing the work with the mobile care unit and hope to thereby gather a great deal of useful data for the further development of the prototype and the improvement of care.”

During the trial period, medical professionals will conduct decentralised examinations of sick people and various groups of the population, including pregnant women, and provide them with information regarding further treatment options and preventive examinations, besides others.

“Another important aim of the platform is the early detection of diseases, which brings advanced diagnostic technologies closer to people, especially those in rural areas who often need to travel for days to seek care. This helps underserved people get the care they need sooner and at less financial and time expense to themselves and their caregivers,” says the University of Stellenbosch’s Professor Grant Theron.

Amid often inadequate healthcare, particularly in remote areas, about 1.5-million people die each year in sub-Saharan Africa from the four most common diseases, namely malaria, HIV/Aids, Covid-19 and tuberculosis (TB).

“TB diseases are often not detected at all or not detected in time, particularly in rural areas. This makes it difficult to be able to initiate early treatment and prevent epidemic spread. We are glad that we, at SAMRC, can also provide a contribution towards improving healthcare in rural regions of South Africa by supporting the PreCare project,” adds SAMRC TB Platform director Dr Martie van der Walt.

The Fraunhofer Future Foundation is enabling the development of the mobile PreCare platform through the provision of €600 000 in funding.

With its funding programme, the foundation supports research projects that focus on the needs of civil society, with the selection of projects guided by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, such as enabling access to basic healthcare for as many people as possible worldwide.

“Under the motto ‘Made in Africa for Africa’, our long-term goal is to establish series production locally, not only in order to improve local healthcare and provision, but also to create jobs while simultaneously enabling local value creation. We are intentionally engaging local participants in order to identify local needs while simultaneously increasing acceptance among the population,” Schäfer says.