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This article discusses the need to develop and provide access to diagnostic technologies that enable the development of primary care in developing countries. The difficulties of adapting technology developments to meet the funding priorities of organizations such as the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. The problem of organizations that prioritise technology development over the adaptation of existing technologies for under served communities is also described. The authors encourage support for the local development of medical technologies in developing regions of Africa so that they can be marketed competitively. The potential for technology transfer to improve medical care in Africa is assessed.

This article discusses the political tensions that limit the treatment of multidrug resistant tuberculosis. The risks posed by violence among patients receiving treatment for the disease to medical practitioners is assessed, and investments in physical restraints to enforce isolation are considered. The persistence of the public health risk posed by tuberculosis because of limitations in the diagnostic capabilities and treatment facilities for the disease is outlined. The alternative practice of community centered treatment for tuberculosis, which is practiced in Kenya, is described.