There was a time when medicine was considered to be a noble profession but now almost every doctor you come across is only concerned with making money from the patients. We won’t deny that there are some who are more concerned about the life of others than the balance in their bank accounts since we know of Dr Mohammod Jobayer Chisti of Bangladesh. Have you heard about this amazing doctor who turned a shampoo bottle into a lifesaver to help kids fight pneumonia? Want to know about his ingenious invention? Then keep reading.
Back in 1996, Dr Mohammod Jobayer Chisti had his first night as an intern and was on a shift with the registrar when he saw several children succumbing to pneumonia. Feeling helpless after three children dying right in front of his eyes, he promised himself to do something about this problem and save the lives of helpless infants.
He was working in Melbourne when he came across a piece of equipment that used continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) to prevent lungs from collapsing. The machine was expensive, and they needed a much cheaper alternative for it, so he took inspiration from it and decided to create something by himself. Dr Mohammod Jobayer Chisti and one of his colleagues took a discarded plastic shampoo bottle from the ICU and turned it into equipment that could help children breathe even with lowered lung capacity due to pneumonia.
Testing their invention on four to five patients at random, they found significant improvement within just hours of treatment. A two-year study indicated that the device could cut the mortality rate in children by up to 75 percent. It also makes more efficient use of oxygen by cutting hospital’s annual expenditure on oxygen from USD 30000 to merely USD 6000.
In poverty-ridden Bangladesh where many hospitals, especially those in the rural areas, cannot afford proper equipment, Dr Mohammod Jobayer Chisti's invention has helped save hundreds of lives. While a ventilator costs around USD 15000 and needs to be operated by trained staff, adding to the cost, the tool developed by the doctor costs just over USD 1. It is especially proven to be a lifesaver for the poor children whose families cannot even afford expensive treatments.
Pneumonia is among the major infectious causes of mortality and morbidity in children in Bangladesh. About 19000 children die from this lung disease every year, accounting for one in every five deaths of children under the age of 5. Dr. Mohammod Jobayer Chisti has saved several lives in areas where hospitals could not afford a ventilator.
As of right now, Dr Mohammod Jobayer Chisti heads the clinical research department at his hospital. Dr. ARM Luthful Kabir, the professor of pediatrics at Ad-din Women’s Medical College says that though a nation-wide research is required to be undertaken for Chisti’s invention, the results that it has shown so far are quite encouraging.
Dr. Mohammod Jobayer Chisti’s hard work and determination to save lives of children who have absolutely no hope prove that some people in this world are not worried about making more and more money. Some do want to help others.
Want to know more about the genius doctor and his phenomenal invention? Check out the video below.
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(Image Courtesy: 1. OneIndia Tamil, 2. BBC ; BBC (Feature Image Courtesy) (Video Courtesy: BBC News/ YouTube)
