Mohsin Rafiq and Nauman Rafiq are two brothers from the University of Peshawar who have made a cost-effective electrosurgical generator that can later be exported
The startup culture in Pakistan has been rapidly growing over the past decade. With innovations in technology, entrepreneurs have collaborated with established hubs that promote startups such as the National Incubation Center which help in making their startups a reality. One startup in KPK has made strides in the region who have developed an energy and cost-effective electrosurgical generator.
The startup was made by two brothers from the University of Peshawar-Muhammad Mohsin Rafiq and Nauman Rafiq. An electrosurgical generator is a new form of medical equipment that can be used to produce a variety of electrical waveforms during different surgeries. The machine is very expensive to make but it is very hard to make and hence is not locally manufactured which makes repairs very difficult to achieve. The prototype made by these brothers of the electrosurgical generator involves less blood loss, more precision and a digital screen for easy monitoring by surgeons.
They got their idea as their father worked at an electro-medical workshop at the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar and found it difficult to repair imported machines. According to Mohsin, “Once, our father brought a machine home and asked us to repair it as we were studying engineering. After three days, we repaired that machine which marked our first success. This sparked our interest in electro-medical equipment”.
They produced over 50 machines under the company name of ‘Mohsin Electro Medical’ which was bought by hospitals across the country. The startup needed much more work and polishing which was supplied to them by the NIC as Mohsin said that: “After being incubated at the National Incubation Centre (NIC) Peshawar, our coach suggested us to develop the name and brand of our company. That’s when we changed the name to APRUS Technologies”.
Hira Irshad, who is now the CEO of APRUS, said that through the mentoring sessions at NIC, the company gained contacts with international investors and hence the company can now export the machines to other countries in the near future.
