Good News for Tonga!

IDAS Group is proud to be sponsoring engineering student, Philip Brand, who has been selected to join Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury’s, Tonga Biomedical Outreach Programme in January 2026.

Philip Brand, working on a robot at the University of Canterbury’s Engineering School.

The Tonga Biomedical Outreach Programme provides a selected group of engineering students with an incredible, 10 week, problem-solving opportunity. First the students receive six weeks of special training to plan and prepare. Then they travel to Tonga to spend four weeks working with local healthcare providers, to repair and recondition a huge array of donated medical equipment. See examples in the photo below.

Much of the donated equipment is damaged, with broken or missing parts.

The students will be challenged to think creatively and use all their engineering skills to make the required repairs.

They will also need to provide practical and realistic solutions for the continued maintenance of the equipment after they leave Tonga.

The work that the students do is vital to the Tongan healthcare system.

 

Each item of medical equipment that can be salvaged by Philip and the UC Engineering student group, will result in improved health care, and potentially life-saving outcomes, for hundreds of Tongans. 

IDAS Group is proud to be able to provide sponsorship for Philip Brand and the Tonga Biomedical Outreach Programme.

Click the link to learn more about Biomed at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury.

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