Software applications for early detection of Diabetes and Breast Cancer have been developed by a staff of the Federal University Dutse, Dr. Salihu Ibrahim.
A statement issued by the public relations unit of the institution said Dr Ibrahim who achieved the feat is the Head of the Department of Medical Biochemistry and a renowned Phyto -Medical personnel and also a Researcher.
Speaking on the feat and why he developed the applications, Dr Ibrahim said, Diabetes and Breast Cancer are major diseases ravaging Nigeria and Africa.
According to him, as a Researcher, he has been interested in finding ways to mitigate the scourge as currently almost 70% of diabetic patients in Africa are unaware of their condition and they often discover it accidentally.
He indicated that since almost everyone has a mobile phone, I felt I can develop an application software to help people identify their risk level adding that the software will not prescribe medication; instead, it will assess whether users are at high, medium, or low risk and advise them to seek medical intervention.
Explaining further Dr. Ibrahim said the software will be more beneficial especially for people living in rural areas because they can quickly assess their risk levels from the comfort of their homes, rather than waiting for extended periods to see a doctor.
On the Breast Cancer detection App , the Researcher said the idea came to him during an Innovation Hub Training sponsored by the University, and at the end participants were mandated to develop a project
He added that he focused on breast cancer because it is one of the problems affecting our immediate communities.
He said the Breast Cancer software application will guide even women who do not have higher education because the application is very simple and it’s more of pictorials adding that the application has already been licensed with the Nigerian Copyright Commission.
He expressed the optimism that the University will also benefit from it.
Dr. Ibrahim said the applications have not been uploaded to the Play Store, because in order for it to be available on the Play Store, they need to be commercialized and allow interested parties to invest in the idea.