Low-cost ultrasound device makes imaging affordable

Bernard Gitau @benagitau

The country has adopted the use of a battery-operated ultrasound device that can detect tumours in any part of the body – within seconds.

Dubbed Butterfly IQ Ultrasound device, the world’s first handheld ultrasound gadget, can easily detect any abnormalities in the heart, lungs and carotid arteries.

The hand-held device, roughly the size of an electric shaver, gives hope to 47 million Kenyans who do not have access to basic diagnostic imaging services.

According to health experts, the device will help in early diagnosis of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), mostly cardiovascular ailments that continue to kill Kenyans silently.

Ministry of Health records indicate that NCDs account for 50 per cent of hospital admissions and 55 per cent of deaths.

Advanced facilities 

Zack Kirimi, a Director of Zackii Medical Centre in Uthiru, opines that Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) are responsible for much of the NCD burden.

“High deaths due to NCDs is as a result of people not getting tested in time. This is due to lack of affordable services for ultrasound services,” he said.

Health ministry data further indicates that, at least 91 people die of cancer daily, mainly because of late diagnosis.

Kirimi notes that the most affected are people in rural areas due to lack of advanced medical facilities and health specialists.

“Patients from those areas are forced to travel far and wide to seek ultrasound services, which are quite expensive,” he said.

To address this, Ilara Health has partnered with companies using robotics and AI to create lower cost diagnostics, integrate them into a tech platform, and distribute them to doctors and health facilities.

According to Fred Korir, an official from Ilara, Butterfly IQ is revolutionising the health sector.

“Butterfly IQ Ultrasound devices are smaller in size compared to conventional medical machines.

It is portable and can be used by any health worker under guidance,” he said.

It is also substantially cheaper than traditional methods with prices starting under Sh650,000, he added. 

“The technology behind medical ultrasound has largely stayed the same with little to no innovation.

These traditional systems rely on fragile, piezo crystals that are expensive to manufacture,” he added.

Timely imagery 

Kendi Karia, a Sonographer with Ilara Health said the device facilitates telemedicine.

“Butterfly iQ can be attached to an iPhone or ipad making it eminently portable, allowing doctors to receive timely imagery of a patient anywhere on Earth,” she said.

Kendi says this helps leverage the shortage of medical specialists in the country.  According to Kenya Medical Practitioner and Dentist Council (KMPDU) there are only 2,560 specialists in the country.

KMPDC indicates there are 11,974 doctors registered but only 7,974 have been retained in the 2019 register.