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Neo Hutiri was inspired to create a smart pill dispenser five years ago. The 31-year-old South African engineer got this idea after being diagnosed with TB in 2014.
With an initial six-month treatment period, this meant that he had to spend at least three hours in a queue every time he was going to pick up his medications at his hospital's pharmacy. Johannesburg.
"Most of the other patients who were waiting with me had to miss work just to get their medicine back," he said.
These long waitings at the hospital inspired Hutiri to create the Pelebox Smart Locker – a digital dispenser filled with medications for patients with chronic diseases.
Pelebox Smart Locker (OATWAY JAMES)
How the Hutiri device changes the health sector in South Africa
These bins reduce queues "from three and a half hours to less than 36 seconds," he said. BBC Focus on Africa.
With the Pelebox, patients have access to their medications through a single pin sent to their phone. "It gives them the opportunity not to stay too long in their jobs, to focus on their business, to lead a more productive life, without wasting time due to the management of an illness," he said.
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It also means that patients with chronic diseases such as HIV and AIDS no longer have to worry about the looks of others when they need to receive their medications.
"If you recover your antiretroviral drugs for HIV in a locker, you do not have to worry that someone is watching me," he stated.
Pelebox is currently used in six public clinics in South Africa. GautengProvince. There have been more than 10,000 patient collections.
"Eight other units are in the works and should be installed and operational in the next two months, also for Gauteng,"Hutiri announced.
Hutiri Wins Africa's Biggest Engineering Award
He won the 2019 Africa Prize for Innovation in Engineering from the Royal Academy of Engineering.
This makes him the first South African to win this prestigious prize worth £ 25,000 ($ 31,000).
"Hutiri is a deserving winner. Pelebox will improve health care for everyone who uses and works in a highly sought after public health care system " said the judge of the Africa Prize, John Lazar.
Judges John Lazar CBE FREng and Mariéme Jamme present Neo Hutiri with the Africa Prize laureate (raeng)
Commenting on his victory, he said: "Winning the Africa Prize is a huge feat for us. We can now step up our manufacturing efforts using the prize money. The networks of which we are part will also contribute to the growth of our company. "
Since the creation of the Africa Engineering Award five years ago, more and more people have invented devices to improve the health care sector.
Winners from previous years include a low cost, non-transfusion magnetic test for malaria diagnosis and a dust jacket for the pneumonia test.
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