Nompumelelo Mohohlo

South African engineer revolutionizing healthcare access through low-cost medical devices

Nompumelelo Mohohlo is a biomedical engineer whose company, MedTech4Africa, has developed award-winning medical devices priced 80% below international standards. Her breakthrough invention, the 'LuminaScope' portable ultrasound device, costs just $200 compared to traditional $30,000 systems, enabling rural clinics to perform life-saving diagnostics. This innovation has already been deployed in 300+ facilities across 14 African countries, detecting over 150,000 cases of maternal and child health issues since 2019. Mohohlo's team at MedTech4Africa also created the 'MobiLab' - a smartphone-connected blood analysis kit that provides instant malaria and HIV test results in under 5 minutes. These innovations were developed using locally sourced materials through her 'Make It in Africa' initiative, creating 150+ manufacturing jobs. A finalist in the 2022 Rolex Awards, she's partnered with WHO to establish regional manufacturing hubs. Her TED Talk How we can solve Africa's healthcare crisis showcases her vision of decentralized healthcare ecosystems. Recent projects include a solar-powered neonatal incubator and a telemedicine platform integrating with Africa's growing mobile network coverage. Mohohlo's work has been profiled in Nature Medicine and she advises the African Union's Health Commission on tech policy.