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Al-Eqtisadi - Palestinian-Canadian physician Dr. Tariq Loubani has successfully invented a stethoscope using a 3D printer. This is the first in a series of inventions Loubani hopes will help alleviate the shortage of medical equipment facing the Gaza Strip after eight years of blockade.
Lubani explains that the cost of a stethoscope does not exceed two and a half dollars, which is several times less than the price of a regular stethoscope, but of very similar quality.
"I believe the shortage of medical supplies in Gaza could turn a humanitarian disaster into an unprecedented success," says emergency physician Loubani.
Loubani, who lives in London, Ontario, Canada, is leading a project to provide free, high-quality medical equipment to marginalized and impoverished areas like the Gaza Strip. This is particularly true after Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade on the Strip following Hamas's takeover. Import restrictions have left hospitals and health centers in short supply, leaving them short of essential medical supplies.
What has exacerbated the difficulty of life in the region is the combination of three wars with Israel, the division between Palestinian factions, and the failure of international bodies to fulfill their pledges and financial support to the Strip.
Lubani explains that he seeks to produce this equipment locally, so that the region can meet its needs for such equipment, without relying on donors and the fluctuations of Israeli policy.
Lubani, 34, worked at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza during the eight-day war in 2012. "The wounded were pouring in from every direction, and the doctors took turns using the two stethoscopes available to treat emergency cases," he says.
When Loubani returned to Canada, while he and his nephew were playing with a plastic stethoscope, the doctor noticed that the ear tube in the stethoscope didn't have to be made of stainless steel. He conducted extensive research until, last month, he and his team unveiled the first stethoscope made of plastic.
The first 3D-printed hearing aid was tested in Canada using a water-filled balloon, and the results showed that it was as effective as those available on the market.
Dr. Jonathan Dreyer, director of emergency medicine research at the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Western Ontario, says the stethoscope invented by Palestinian-Canadian physician Loubani is of high quality, even though Dreyer was not involved in the project. "I have used Loubani's stethoscope on many of my patients, and I can attest that the sound clarity and quality are on par with, or even superior to, the standard Littmann Cardiology III stethoscope," he says.
The Glia project, spearheaded by Loubani and his team, also designs a variety of medical equipment using 3D printers, such as the device doctors use to hold suture needles, as well as a blood oxygen meter.
Recently, while Loubani was visiting the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian-Canadian doctor saw a member of his team printing a stethoscope in a shop in Gaza City.
The printer is assembled locally, with layers of red filament melted in a circular motion on a heated surface. When the printer is finished, Lubani attaches the earpiece to the ear tubes, which were also 3D printed.
"This is simple, cheap, and sufficient for us," said Dr. Ayman Shahbani, director of the emergency department at Al-Shifa Hospital, who had previously tested the stethoscope. "We can now custom-make a stethoscope for each of our doctors."
Loubani is seeking to introduce his invention to the medical profession in Gaza, but this will take time because doctors in the region are not accustomed to using these stethoscopes. However, Loubani hopes that the quality and low price of this device will encourage doctors in Gaza and around the world to use it.
“I am delighted that Gaza patients and patients in general will receive better treatment after I introduced this stethoscope into the region’s medical and treatment system,” Lobani added.
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