3D Printed Stethoscopes

Gaza doctor creates 3D printed stethoscopes to address medical supply shortage.

11:15 11 September 2015

A Gaza doctor has created low-cost 3D printed stethoscopes following an eight-year medical supply shortage.

 

The crossings between Gaza and the borders of Israel and Egypt were blocked eight years ago after Hamas seized power in the region. This led to a shortage of vital medical supplies.

 

Dr Tarek Loubani, a Palestinian-Canadian doctor from London has taken matters into his own hands after he was faced with the scarcity of equipment in the region. The 34-year-old doctor designed his own equipment, after medics Shifa – Gaza City’s main hospital, were forced to cope to with two stethoscopes as wounded Palestinians flooded into the emergency room.   

 

The $2.50 stethoscopes were effective as those that are produced by leading brands, as confirmed by doctors who have tested them out.

 

Dr Loubani said the shortage of medical supplies in the territory “is something that I think we can translate from a big problem to a big win for us in Gaza.”

 

He added that he plans to produce the devices locally “so they meet local need and so that they are not dependent of the political winds of the Israelis and of the donor community.”