Pretoria doctor out to change the world
Pretoria medical doctor’s new invention to change thousands of lives.
Dr Dirk Koekemoer, a renowned Pretoria entrepreneur, medical doctor and inventor living in Faerie Glen, is taking on the world’s most common chronic disability, hearing loss, in a most innovative direction.
Inspired by a desire to change the lives of people on a grand scale, Koekemoer, MD of eMoyo, has invented a device that can help those most in need.
Dubbed the KUDUwave 5000, the device simply looks like a pair of large white headphones, but underneath the plastic and soundproof ear cups lie some incredible tech.
“The KUDUwave is the product of my desire to help as many people as I possibly can. Hearing loss is the world’s most common chronic disability, but it is a silent epidemic. In South Africa this year alone, 2 000 people will potentially lose their hearing. Someone has to change this.”
Although testing booths have existed for some time, they are expensive and time-consuming to install, costing upwards of R1 million and cannot be moved. The use of the room can also cost R60 000. This makes it virtually inaccessible to the poor. The KUDUwave addresses all of these issues.
KUDUwave utilises the same principles as the existing testing booths, but is much smarter. “The KUDUwave blocks out sound even better than a testing booth. The device simply goes over the patient’s ears, and plugs into any Windows computer running the KUDUwave program. The results are then measured and sent directly to the KUDUconnect servers where they are interpreted and messaged to an audiologist registered with eMoyo.”
“The main advantage of the KUDUwave is its portability. The South African Department of Health has purchased around 140 units and distributed them to primary healthcare facilities across the country. One of these places is Thembisa,” added Koekemoer.
These primary healthcare facilities have been targeted as many patients who receive Tuberculosis (TB) medication are at these centres. “One of the major side-effects of TB medication is hearing loss. Patients often go deaf as the testing centres are too far or too expensive to use. With this, we can save their hearing. We have already helped save the hearing of an estimated 2 000 people,” said Koekemoer.
The true genius of the KUDUwave is its ability to test patients as accurately as the standard testing rooms, but at a fraction of the cost. “Whereas audiologists are limited to testing 5 to 6 patients a day, each KUDUwave can test up to 30-40 patients a day, at around R15 a test. The results are then sent to an audiologist, who can interpret multiple results at a time, and make informed decisions.”
This process is known as tele-audiology. “It is the future of audiology,” said Koekemoer.
The KUDUwave is now poised to take the world by storm. “The device already has European CE (Conformité Européenne) certification, is FDA (United States Food and Drug Administration) certified, as well as ISO 13485 certified. The device has already been sold in Sweden, and we have two audiologists in Australia looking to distribute,” said Koekemoer.
He added: “This is a proudly South African product. It has been designed, engineered and manufactured in South Africa, by some of the brightest young South Africans with very scarce skills. This means South African skill, not the people themselves, is exported to the world.”
The future of South Africa’s hearing could not be in better hands.
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