NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Ulrich Klaus, Philips’ Business Development Manager said in Nairobi that the VISIQ provides high quality images for expectant mothers wherever care is taking place.

“Small outpatient clinics or community centers can carry out comprehensive obstetric and abdominal scans themselves rather than referring patients to regional ultrasound centers,” he said.

This, he added, enables fast diagnosis and treatment.

Approximately ten times smaller than a traditional ultrasound machine and with reduced energy consumption, VISIQ can also be used in community care programs in remote rural areas for screening, triage and fetal well-being scans, all of which helps to address the critical issue of maternal and infant care in Kenya.

Klaus said the machine will enable rural expectant women to be examined at their homes, without much strain, because the machine can be carried and taken to different environments. “Only severe complications that require to be taken at the Intensive Care Units for scanning, operations or other severe complications will find room into the hospitals,” said Klaus.

He assured consumers that the machine has no radioactive effects to the patients. He said the machine will enable pregnant women that don’t have pregnancy complications deliver at home safely instead and will only visit clinics when detected with pregnancy complications for medical attention.