Arthur Zang

Arthur Zang was born on 26 November 1987 in Mbankomo, Cameroon. He earned a computer science degree from the University of Yaoundé in 2004, then continued at the university's National Advanced School of Engineering, graduating in 2010 with an engineering degree in computer science, design, and software engineering.

During a student internship in a cardiology department, Zang learned that Cameroon — a country of roughly 20 million people — had fewer than 50 cardiologists, nearly all based in the country's two largest cities. Patients from rural areas often had to travel long distances, at real expense, just to receive a basic heart examination. Zang set out to build a solution: a touch-screen tablet that could perform an ECG in a rural clinic and transmit the results wirelessly to a cardiologist in the city, who could interpret them and respond within around 20 minutes.

With no formal training in electronics, Zang taught himself the necessary hardware knowledge largely from online videos over roughly six months. After recording and posting a demonstration video of the working prototype, he came to the attention of Cameroonian President Paul Biya, who provided funding to produce the first Cardiopad units, manufactured in China and assembled in Cameroon. He founded Himore Medical to manufacture and distribute the devices, which are now provided to Cameroonian hospitals and clinics largely free of charge, funded in part by a modest annual patient subscription.

The Cardiopad, generally credited as Africa's first touch-screen medical tablet, has since been distributed beyond Cameroon to India, Nepal, and Gabon. Zang has continued developing further medical technology, including plans for lower-cost ultrasound equipment and emergency alert devices for rural communities.