%In the #aftermath of the conflicts between #Israel and #Gaza in #2012, medical teams had no access to important equipment in order to take care of the #injured.% - http://clapway.com/2015/08/16/stethoscope-3d-printed-099/

Tarek Loubani, a doctor working at the Shifa hospital in Gaza, has figured out a way to give hospitals across the blockaded strip easy access to low-cost medical instruments. Loubani has developed a stethoscope which costs only 30 cents and can be 3D printed.

THE PROJECT GLIA

Tarek Loubani has been “trying to release high quality free medical hardware to increase availability to those who need it”, as the website of Glia project states. Project Glia, according to The Register, was developed in the aftermath of the conflicts between Israel and Gaza in 2012, when Loubani and his medical team had no access to important equipment in order to take care of those injured.

In fact, as he said at the Chaos Communications Camp, he was forced to put his ear to the victims’ chests in order to hear their heartbeats due to the lack of good stethoscopes.

THE 30-CENT-STETHOSCOPE

Together with a team of medical and technology specialists, Tarek Loubani designed the stethoscope and tested it against global standard benchmarks and, as he says, it is as good as any stethoscope -“and he has the data to prove it”.

Now, he is confident that the medical instrument that he funded himself and has cost him more than 11,000 dollars so far will be approved soon since it has only been used locally for the past six months. Also, audio-frequency response curve tests revealed that it provides better sound quality than the infamous Littman Cardiology III.

The idea of the 3D-printed stethoscope was inspired by his nephew. When Loubani tested his stethoscope toy, he found it performed much better than expected.

The innovative stethoscope by project Glia has been released as an open source model on Github for anyone to use.

WHAT’S NEXT?

The stethoscope was just the beginning since the team is now working on some of the most expensive devices in medical centers including a pulse oximeter, an electrocardiogram for cardiac patients and will work on haemodialysis machines.

Loubani’s goal is to replace expensive solutions, following the footsteps of the Free Software Movement, and he hopes that in 25 years the world is going to be a better place. For everyone.

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The World"s Best Stethoscope is 3D-Printed

Absolutely everyone"s nightmare. - http://clapway.com/2015/07/13/cancer-treatment-doctor-gets-45-year-sentence-for-fraud-3/

Healthcare Gone Wrong

After a two-year trial, a Detroit cancer treatment doctor faces 45 years in prison for crimes committed against his patients.

Dr. Farid Fata was sentenced on Friday after collecting from insurance companies, while also subjecting more than 500 of his patients to harmful and unnecessary treatments. Last year, Fata entered a plea of guilty to counts of fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering. Victims submitted testimony of the horrific acts that Fata submitted them under, including accounts of prescribing chemotherapy to otherwise perfectly healthy people.

Fata was in charge of seven Detroit, Michigan-based medical offices, including a cancer treatment clinic and a diagnosis testing facility. It was in these offices that he prescribed these false diagnoses, which included chemotherapy and expensive treatment charges. The total amount of theft from Medicare and other private insurance companies comes to around $35 million, on top of personal damages to patients.

Cancer Treatment Doctor Undergoing Trial

The trial for his crimes began in 2013. and Fata has been on trial since. He entered a plea of guilty, and along with the regulations of his guilty plea, Fata recounted his actions for the court. He admitted to prescribing unnecessary and excessively harsh cancer treatment options, including chemotherapy, to patients in order to increase his profits from fraud of the insurance companies. He also admitted to soliciting kickbacks, or bribery, from local hospices in exchange for referral of patients to further prey on.

In Friday’s sentencing, Fata stated: “I misused my talents, yes, and permitted this sin to enter me because of power and greed,” Fata said. “My quest for power is self-destructive.” Even with his remorseful statement, sentencing judge Paul Borman remained solemn in his reasoning to placing Fata on a proper punishment resulting in his 45 year prison sentence.

Moving Forward

Victims and supporters were satisfied with the outcome of this ordeal, and feel that this will be a step in the right direction to heal from the maleficence that Fata has put them through. Indeed, this trial serves as a lesson to all about being cautious about the malicious practices that once can be put through by professionals that they seek the help of.

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Cancer Treatment Doctor Gets 45 Year Sentence for Fraud