According to this BBC report, Dr. Nguyen Phuoc Huy, a medical doctor in a poor area of Vietnam, couldn't afford the $30,000 USD cost of buying an endoscopic system. Said system is used to view the interior of the human body to aid in diagnosing various problems. It is especially useful in minimally invasive surgeries where a relatively small incision can be made for the camera lens and then the doctor's hand is guided by the image provided by the endoscope.
Not knowing much about optics or computers, the good doctor taught himself what he needed to know, consulted with others when he ran into problems, then designed and built his own endoscope for about the cost of the scope itself ($800).
I love this kind of ingenuity where you take what you have, learn what you need to learn, and then create something useful on a tight budget.
Aloha!
Comments (1)
It also shows the hugely inflated prices supported by the typical western health insurance.
Posted by sjon | August 23, 2005 9:40 PM
Posted on August 23, 2005 21:40