President Dr Irfaan Ali was this afternoon (Tuesday) presented with the pioneering multipurpose hand-held medical device, the ‘Vital360,’ by US-based Guyanese Doctor, Deon Vigilance.
President Ali expressed appreciation for the gift and was treated to a mini demonstration, following the presentation, at State House, the Office of the President reported.
The visiting doctor, who is the Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Mercy Catholic Medical Center at Mercy Fitzgerald Campus in Pennsylvania, told the President that the device is revolutionary in the medical field.
He said that it has the capability to check six different vitals, including blood pressure, blood glucose and blood oxygen, which can then be sent to any doctor or family member. The information can also be logged to electronic medical records.
“If you are at home and you check your blood pressure and it is at 180/100 you know what it is, but also immediately once you know, your doctor will also know.”
Dr Vigilance, who was involved in the early development of the device, said that it can also be used on a large scale.
“You can go to a village as well and check the health of the entire community and keep a medical record of that so you know where your baseline is and you can store that information and over the years you can see how they are doing.”
He said too that after eight years of development, the product is in its final transition point, which is an FDA certification. The company is expected to be granted the necessary approval within the second quarter of 2021.
Dr Vigilance noted that the gesture to the President is reflective of the fact that the Head of State can lead the charge in saying ‘I am concerned about my health’.