Maureen Etuket, a doctoral student in Industrial Engineering at Stellenbosch University (SU), is on a mission to prevent maternal deaths caused by excessive bleeding after birth (postpartum haemorrhage, or PPH).
Hailing from Kampala, Uganda, Etuket says she always had the desire to solve medical problems and contribute to the public healthcare space.
Determined to help save the lives of millions of mothers around the world, she and her team at Pumzi Devices Uganda Limited developed a prototype called the SMART PVD device (SMART Postpartum Haemorrhage Volumetric Drape) that could help improve the diagnosis and management of blood loss after childbirth.
They recently won the Mandela Rhodes Foundation’s award for social impact in Africa – the 2023 Äänit Prize of $38 000 (approximately R700 000) – for this invention.
Also read: 102 patients receive cataract surgery in a week at Vredendal Hospital
Etuket’s journey in this field began at Makerere University with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering. In 2020, alongside Dr. Peter Kavuma, she co-founded Pumzi Devices, aspiring to create solutions for emergency healthcare challenges through the application of biomedical engineering principles.
The inspiration for the SMART PVD device stemmed from Etuket’s experiences during clinical trials in Ugandan hospitals, where she noticed a reliance on subjective visual estimation for detecting PPH.
‘While I was doing clinical trials in one of the hospitals in Uganda, I discovered that many of the nurses just used visual estimation (using their eyes) to tell that a woman is bleeding excessively after having given birth. When I asked them how they know that a woman has PPH, they just said they can tell by experience.’
This method has often led to the devastating and surreptitious loss of life dubbed ‘silent death.’
‘I then understood why PPH is sometimes called a ‘silent death.’ After giving birth, a woman is left on the bed. By the time the nurses and midwives return to her, she has no pulse because she has lost a lot of blood.’
Determined to confront this issue, Etuket collaborated with her students from Kampala’s Ernest Cook Ultrasound Research and Education Institute to conceptualise a more precise, potentially lifesaving tool.
Cape {town} Etc discount: Looking for things to do in the city at half the price? Let these great offers inspire you and fuel your imagination! Get them here.
The device is designed as a drape that is placed beneath a birthing mother to collect blood, which is then monitored for volume. An electronic module within triggers an alarm when a critical level is reached, thereby alerting medical staff promptly and possibly averting fatal outcomes.
Although the prototype is still in its developmental phase, Etuket is confident that the final product will be a game-changer in public healthcare not just in Uganda but also in other parts of the world, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
‘Postpartum haemorrhage is not just a problem in Uganda; it is also a concern in other parts of Africa, including South Africa. We must find ways to prevent excessive bleeding after birth, as this is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality worldwide, according to the World Health Organisation. Women do not have to die from this.’
Despite the geographical separation from her team, Etuket’s leadership persists through monthly online strategy meetings. Her focus now extends to her PhD at SU, where she aims to create a roadmap for localising medical devices in South Africa, an endeavour building on her Master’s degree in Health Innovation from the University of Cape Town.
Explore Cape Town and its surroundings with these incredible deals on cars for under R100 000. Find car listings here.
Also read:
Picture: Supplied