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Meet Nigerian Medical Doctor, Seyi Oyesola Who Co-invented ‘Hospital In A Box’

Published

2 years ago

April 17, 2024

A Nigerian-born medical doctor, Dr Seyi Oyesola is one of the most popular and intelligent inventors in the medical world as he co-invented “hospital in a box” called CompactOR (Compact Operating Room) in 2007.

The “Hospital in a Box” was a portable set with the capability of bringing surgical care to all parts of the African continent.

According to information on Wikipedia, the CompactOR was movable and could be delivered to rural areas and other places with jeep or helicopter.

Another amazing feature of the “hospital in a box” was that it could be set up in just ten minutes with a complete operating room with all the relevant surgical tools including the defibrillators, EKG monitoring, anesthesia and surgical lighting.

It was solar paneled and could perform oral surgeries like the removal of wisdom teeth, removal of cataracts, gall bladders and appendices, and has successfully been used.

The estimated cost of the basic hospital in a box was less than £50,000 (around US $77,350) which was about one fifth of the cost made available for the same services.

Oyesola was born in Nigeria but grew up in Cleveland, the United States. He graduated from high school in 1975 and came down to Nigeria where he obtained his Bachelors of Science Degree from the University of Lagos in 1986.

Dr Seyi Oyesola practised in Nigeria for a short time before going to the United Kingdom and the US for specialised training in anesthesiology and critical care.

He explained that the idea and passion behind the creation of ‘hospital in a box’ was the experience of how people died from simple treatable and manageable illnesses like trauma, burn and heart attacks in community hospitals and health centres, when he came to the country to practise in 2015.

This was where the innovation on improving the health sector in the country began. He worked in the University of Lagos where he rose to lead a team of young doctors in anesthesiology.

Dr Oyesola was appointed consultant at Medway Maritime Hospital in the UK. In 1998, he joined the University of California, Los Angeles as a visiting Assistant Professor. In 1999, he became a consultant in anesthesia and critical care in the UK National Health Service (NHS). He also taught at the medical simulation center of the Imperial College School of Medicine in 2001.

Aside from the invention, he participated in performing the first successful kidney transplant at the Delta State University Teaching Hospital in 2014.

He has worked for more than 25 years on the special needs in anesthesiology and critical care, bringing innovation, developing high-tech medical equipment and training to African hospitals as well as visiting rural hospitals.

Oyesola’s achievements include co-authorship and publications of 8 articles on medicine, co-development of CompactOR, establishment of Practice Ventures in 1996, a company that developed and supplied high-tech medical equipment and training to African hospitals.

He also had a successful TED Global talk in 2007 on hospital in a box, he has a Membership of Professional Associations, Association of Anesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland, Royal Society of medicine, Intensive Care Society, UK and Royal College of Surgeons (Anaesthesia) Ireland.

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Return Of Chinese Astronauts Delayed After Space Debris Hits Spacecraft

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6 hours ago

November 5, 2025

Editor

The return of three Chinese astronauts to Earth has been postponed indefinitely after their spacecraft was reportedly hit by a small piece of debris, according to Chinese state media.

The astronauts, who are part of the Shenzhou-20 mission, travelled to the Tiangong space station in April and were scheduled to return on Wednesday following a six-month stay. Their replacements, the Shenzhou-21 crew, had already arrived over the weekend.

“The Shenzhou-20 crewed spacecraft is suspected to have been struck by a small piece of orbital debris, and assessment of the impact and associated risks is currently under way,” the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said in a statement.

“To ensure the health and safety of the astronauts and the successful completion of the mission, it has been decided that the originally planned return of Shenzhou-20 on November 5 will be postponed.”

Officials did not specify when the debris incident occurred. Earlier in the week, state media reported that both crews had shared a meal of baked chicken prepared using the station’s first oven, delivered by the Shenzhou-21 team. On Tuesday, videos showed the two teams holding a handover ceremony.

Yu Jun, a science communicator known online as Steed’s Scarf, said that if the spacecraft is deemed unsafe to return, authorities could activate a backup plan.

“Shenzhou-22 and the Long March 2F (launcher) were already on standby. This is our rolling backup mechanism. They are in ‘emergency duty’ mode and ready to bring our astronauts home safely if needed,” Yu told his more than five million followers on Weibo.

China has continued to expand its human spaceflight program, completing 37 flights and six crewed missions so far, with plans to land astronauts on the moon by 2030.

The Shenzhou-20 commander, Chen Dong, holds China’s record for the longest cumulative space time more than 380 days and the highest number of spacewalks, with six.

Chinese astronauts have not joined the International Space Station, a partnership between the US, Russia, Europe, Canada, and Japan, due to a US law preventing NASA from cooperating with China’s space program. Instead, China has said it welcomes international cooperation on its Tiangong space station.

(The Guardian Uk)

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Man Grabs Mexico’s President While Meeting Citizens On The Street

Published

6 hours ago

November 5, 2025

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Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum, while meeting citizens in Mexico City was grabbed by a man, prompting concern over presidential security and ongoing harassment faced by women in the country.

A video from Tuesday shows a man, appearing intoxicated, attempting to kiss the president on the neck and holding her from behind.

She quickly removed his hands and turned to face him before an official stepped in and blocked the man.

As he was led away, Sheinbaum was seen smiling slightly and saying, “Don’t worry.” State police later confirmed the man’s arrest.

Commentators said the episode shows that no woman, not even Mexico’s President, is immune to harassment.

“Even if you’re the president, any guy believes he has the right to touch you,” said Catalina Ruiz-Navarro, a journalist with feminist outlet Volcánicas. “When they ask what the patriarchy is, this is it.”

The incident also raised questions about Sheinbaum’s security. Her team was not clearly visible in the footage, and it took several seconds for anyone to react.

It comes days after Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodríguez, a popular mayor, was killed during Day of the Dead celebrations in Uruapan, Michoacán.

He was shot seven times at close range before the gunman was killed. Before his death, Manzo Rodríguez had publicly appealed to Mexico’s President for help against local criminal groups.

He is the latest in a series of officials killed in Mexico. During the 2024 election campaign, 37 candidates were murdered, and since Sheinbaum’s government began on 1 October, 10 municipal presidents have also been killed.

While local leaders are often targeted, high-level officials have also faced threats.

In 1994, presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta was assassinated at a rally in Tijuana. In 2020, the Jalisco cartel attempted to kill Omar García Harfuch, Sheinbaum’s current security minister, in a daylight attack in Mexico City.

Sheinbaum herself faced a scare last year during her campaign in Chiapas, when masked men stopped her vehicle to demand action against violence before letting her go.

Like her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Mexico’s President has preferred to keep close contact with the public and maintain lighter security. But the latest incident may prompt her to reconsider.

“Hopefully [the presidency will press charges], and the president will send a clear message: no man has the right to kiss or touch a woman without her consent,” wrote Alejandra Escobar, editorial director of Ectétera, on X. “May this also serve as an example for [her assistants]: it is not acceptable for her to be so exposed.”

(The Guardian UK)

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Sweden To Charge 18-year-old Over IS Terror Plot

Published

1 day ago

November 4, 2025

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The Swedish Prosecution Authority said Tuesday it intended to charge an 18-year-old man for planning a terrorist act in Stockholm on behalf of the Islamic State group.

According to prosecutors, the planning took place between August 2024 and February 2025.

“We believe the purpose of the preparations was to induce serious fear in the population, in the name of the Islamic State. The criminal act could have seriously harmed Sweden,” Deputy Chief Prosecutor Henrik Olin said in a statement.

Prosecutors did not provide details of the plan but said the man was also suspected of “preparation for serious crimes under the act on flammable and explosive goods and training for terrorism”.

Prosecutors said they planned to file the charges on Thursday and that a press conference would be held the same day.

The young man will also be charged alongside a 17-year-old boy with attempted murder in Germany in August 2024.

Both of them are also suspected of “participation in a terrorist organisation,” according to the statement.

The man was arrested in Stockholm on February 11 and has been in custody since then.

AFP