Africom is launching a new health-focused ECG(Electrocardiography) Dongle, which identifies problems with the heart, such as heart disease, heart failure, and cardiomyopathy etc. The device allows one to check their heart rate from the comfort of their homes.
The ECG dongle is being launched on 3rd of March in Bindura. February also happens to be Heart Disease Month. Africom says the launch of this device is part of their social mission: which is providing accessible and affordable health services through technology. Most people cannot access these services because the costs are too prohibitive, but at $45 the ECG Dongle is a great product that will keep you updated on the status of your heart.
What is ECG?
ECG stands for Electrocardiography and the device can:
- check your heart rhythm
- See if you have poor blood flow to your heart muscle (ischemia)
- Diagnose a heart attack.
- Check on things that are abnormal, such as thickened heart muscle.
- Low heart rate
- Stress levels
The device is very small, which makes it possible to carry it with you whilst you travel. Africom is trying to ensure that people can monitor their heart rates from the comfort of their homes. The initiative is focused on helping people monitor their health without incurring the prohibitive costs of GP’s.
How does it work?
The dongle comes with:
- The dongle that records data
- An OTG-cable that connects the device to smartphones and tablets(equipped with micro-USB)
- Electrodes which connect to the device via a cable.
- 4 reusable electrodes to place on the body and record biopotentials.
- A smartphone companion app that gives you a PDF of the results of your test.
Africom said there is a second phase in the works, that will be powered by artificial intelligence. This will analyze trends based on your body type and age to output more accurate data in relation to the condition of your heart.
Where can you access the ECG Dongle?
Africom is offering free testing until the end of February and they will be working in conjunction with local clinics around the country to demo the device. The app is compatible with Android(4.2 and later) and iOS. However, saving the results to PDF is only available on Android 4.4.
The device will be available for $45 from Africom stores around the country. Africom is in negotiations with pharmacies as well.
Let us know what you think about the ECG Dongle in the comments below.
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2 comments
great initiative! so AI is in Zimbabwe now. finally! what usually happens is that Econet takes over and rides on such innovations. considering that Sikhwama was the first mobile money but little is known about it but Ecocawsh! well done Africom!
This has been around for over three years now, I bought this Africom ECG dongle in 2016 and it failed to work.
Personal remote patient monitoring has been there for a longtime and there’s nothing for Econet to “ride” on such. Check out their Econet Connected Heath which they introduced in 2015, it does exactly that!!!