CPR at Your Fingertips: Health Tech Innovation in the Nigerian Public Health System

In 2025, De Montfort University student, Harry Wragg, created a prototype for a basic healthcare tool that had the potential to reduce the mortality rate of patients who suffer sudden cardiac arrests and who do not have immediate access to health care facilities. Harry created CPR+Aid, a small oval-shaped tool with a click button in its centre that helps people know whether they are using the right amount of force when administering CPR. This award-winning tool is believed to have the potential to improve the confidence of non-medical professionals and bystanders when required to administer CPR in the event of an emergency. Basic health technologies such as the CPR+Aid are necessary for the improvement of healthcare, particularly within the public health sector. This article explored the regulatory framework governing the design, use and distribution of such medical technologies and how our Nigerian laws can promote innovation and technology within the public health sector. Furthermore, the paper considered the pillars of medical ethics and how these come into play in the conversations and decisions taken within the sphere of health tech and law. In the course of this study, the Doctrinal Method was used, and reference was made to primary and secondary sources of data, including books, journals, theses, laws and online resources. The paper established that, while many commendable strides have been made in creating a conducive regulatory environment for innovation and technology in the public health sector, consideration ought to be given to possible enforcement gaps, ethical issues and potential risks. Based on these findings, the article recommended the encouragement of innovation-friendly regulation; the strengthening of legal frameworks around health tools in the public health sector; and the development of local manufacturing capacity to reduce dependency on imports and foreign health tools.