To help in the early detection of breast cancer, Idris Dangana, a primary school teacher decided to invent a device to help women. He was motivated to take the initiative after the death of a woman close to his heart.
The news of the death of a woman who died from breast cancer where his friend, Isah visited brought back painful memories for Dangana. The 43-year-old Kano indigene quit his job as a school teacher to develop his computer and software development skills to proffer solutions to help his community.
Dangana said:
“The worst nightmare was when I was driving and saw a woman under the sun holding a hospital card, begging for money for surgery on one of the breasts, which would cost her over N150, 000. She could not wear clothes and used a veil to cover her upper body.”
“For many, they could not afford the cost of screening because there are no screening machines in primary healthcare centres.It cost between N3,500 to N6, 000 to get scanned in cities.”
“Surgery costs above N150,000. Not all hospitals are equipped with mammography machines as they cost about $60,000.”
Dangana resolve to find an affordable means to detect cancer led to the idea of BCScan, an innovation of the DiceHub (DIHub), which is behind the cancer-detecting device. He said:
“We joined hands and talked on possible partnerships with a local NGO on breast cancer, we deepened our search about this deadly cancer by asking as many women in our network, including healthcare professionals. The feedback was scary,”
According to Dangana, they came up with the solution of using Artificial Intelligence with brassiers, that could detect tumours that are as small as 2mm in diameter. The wearable device would guarantee early detection. The initiative is targeted at rural women who have limited health care access and low income.