Though I developed interest to start working with medical devices, I lacked exposure and hands on experiences in biomedical engineering devices. Poly-Rice biomedical internship programme has uplifted me to greater height. Hypothermia and Oxygen concentration device are the main project areas that we are concentrating. As a team, we are eager to identify and address problems related to hypothermia and an oxygen concentrator device.

Our first week to the project was spent in researching and understanding about hypothermia causes, symptoms, prevention and its line of treatment as well as getting familiarization with an oxygen concentrator device airflow, components functionality and general service maintenance as per device operations manual. We interacted and went out to buy some tools necessary for the project activities and prepared guide line document to necessitate our data collections in the targeted district hospitals. We then measured our preparations and competent by visiting Queens Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) and while there, I was privileged to visit Chatinkha ward for the first time in my life and I had a chance to interview a nurse who was treating a new born baby. The nurse was very cooperative and that gave me courage and more confidence. Finally, we visited PAM Office where we met Mike Nkosi, technician working with Oxygen concentrators and it was a wonderful moment meeting him. With Mike, we worked to troubleshoot a failing oxygen concentrator and indeed it was nice working with him. For the one hour we interacted, he gave me confident that all things are possible if and only if I’m optimistic with what I am doing and he has shown interest to instill hands on experience in me when I asked if I could join him in my free time to learn more about oxygen concentrators. Having reached this far, I’m enjoying being part of the biomedical engineering team working at Poly for Poly Rice internship programme and I’m even more eager to work with the current biomedical devices in Malawi as I find ways of improving their working efficiencies by identifying ideas which would bring in design solutions, automation and effectiveness.