NWU TRIO SHINES IN GRADHACK FINALS

Lesiba Dikhoba 

@lesiba.dikhoba 

North-West University (NWU) students, Tasmiyah Nakooda, Ulysses Makubika and Zaid Asvart finished within the top 3 teams in the Discovery GradHack Competition following a gruelling 72-hour virtual competition. Their project, an AI-powered lung disease detection system integrated with an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system to improve healthcare diagnostics and patient outcomes, secured them a fully paid trip to Sandton to present their project to Discovery’s CEOs. 

In an interview with Wapad, the Bachelor of Science in Information Technology students shared insights on their project’s inspiration, its impact on the healthcare industry, and their challenges during the competition. 

The competition began with an application submission, leading to a virtual hackathon where 50 students across 16 teams competed. Participants had a set period to develop their projects and present them online. The top 6 teams were selected and refined their projects, and the top 3 were chosen to present at the Discovery Auditorium. 

Despite facing technical difficulties during their final presentation, the team representing the NWU was praised for their close-to-winning innovation. 

As part of their effort to address pressing healthcare challenges, Nakooda described the innovative project. “We designed an AI-powered system to detect lung diseases, specifically tuberculosis and pneumonia. This system is integrated with an electronic health record system, allowing general practitioners to enter patient details, radiologists to upload X-rays, and pulmonologists to develop treatment plans. The system generates a report that aids treatment planning,” she stated. 

For Nakooda, this project holds special significance because it allows her to combine her long-standing interest in the medical field with her studies.

“I’ve always been interested in the medical field and wanted to integrate my IT studies with healthcare improvements. Tuberculosis is a significant problem in South Africa and delays in diagnosis can be life-threatening. This project aims to merge technology and healthcare to address such critical issues.” 

The system aims to reduce costs and save time, particularly in rural communities. “We hope our project will transform healthcare by improving diagnostic accuracy and speed, cutting costs, and saving time for both doctors and patients. This system could be particularly advantageous for rural areas with limited healthcare resources by minimising the need for multiple appointments and reducing wait times,” noted Nakooda.

The support from the NWU was instrumental throughout the competition as the team was provided with access to paid software and offered additional support to meet any needs that arose during the project development. 

The team faced challenges during the competition, including limited time to develop their system. “We had just over 24 hours to develop the entire system, which was challenging. We had to learn and implement unfamiliar technologies on the spot. The time constraint and the need to master new tools and technologies were significant hurdles. Still, we managed by pulling an all-nighter and using online resources like YouTube,” said Nakooda. 

Makubika, one of the team members, spoke about his experience during the competition — highlighting that it was an unforgettable experience. 

“It was a gruelling experience with moments of fear that we wouldn’t be able to get a working prototype, followed by immense relief and happiness when we finally managed to get everything working. Meeting the people at Discovery and connecting with other like-minded individuals from UCT made it an incredible experience. All in all, it was an unforgettable event,” said Makubika. 

Edited by Danica Nortjé