Mulugeta Fiseha

Ethiopian biomedical innovator who engineered low-cost medical solutions for rural healthcare systems.

Mulugeta Fiseha (b. 1975) is a visionary Ethiopian biomedical engineer whose work has transformed healthcare accessibility in sub-Saharan Africa. Growing up in Tigray, he witnessed the devastating impact of preventable diseases exacerbated by lack of medical equipment. After earning degrees in mechanical engineering from Addis Ababa University and MIT, he pioneered the WHO-approved 'Portable Diagnostic Kit' - a solar-powered device that performs 12 critical medical tests using just 5ml of blood. This innovation reduced diagnostic costs by 80% and is now deployed in 15 African countries.

In 2003, Fiseha founded Health Innovate Africa, a nonprofit producing affordable medical devices like the 'TeleMed Cart' enabling remote consultations. His work has enabled over 2 million patients to receive timely care. He also developed the first mobile app for tracking malaria outbreaks in real-time, which the Ethiopian government adopted nationwide. Fiseha's TED Talk 'Engineering Hope in Africa' has over 1.5 million views, inspiring global health tech initiatives.