Figure 4: Hand Powered Washing Machine
Technical interventions may involve changes in health brought about by improvements in medical, scientific, engineering or other technology. While these interventions have been developed by specialists, getting them accepted by the public is often the role of public health practitioners and others working at the community level.
Some examples of technical interventions and their health benefits are:
The following example describes an engineering solution to a problem of the commercial technology being inappropriate for the setting.
| Hand Powered Washing Machine - Background The hand powered washing machine was designed in response to the needs expressed by women's groups in remote communities who wanted to wash blankets but didn't have access to electricity and couldn't get electric machines repaired. Commercial Washing Machines in remote communities were getting damaged by dust and some were only lasting six to eight months. It was expensive to keep repairing and maintaining the machines so an alternative was needed. Features The Hand Powered Washing Machine is simple to operate. Through pumping the machine's handle, a plastic agitator is plunged up and down…The machine is filled with a hose or bucket and …emptied through a flexible drain pipe attached to the base of the bowl. It does not require any complicated plumbing. Product Information Sheet, Centre for Appropriate Technology, |
Figure 4: Hand Powered Washing Machine