Back in the Netherlands, Dieuwertje began studying at the research group “Surgery for All” at TU Delft. She and her fellow researchers realised that many of the current medical devices were only fully functional in high-income countries where the over-complicated components didn’t hinder their use.

Having seen first-hand how impractical these devices are in a low-income country, Dieuwertje became vocal about making reusable medical devices. She is a driving force in increasing access to healthcare, where the impact is needed the most. Together with Thom, she founded LAYCO to do just that.

During our journey, LAYCO has attracted a diverse group of purpose-driven individuals, ranging from students and engineers to professors and gynaecologists. Among them, Christiaan Bakker stands out for his remarkable contribution during the COVID-19 pandemic. Collaborating with gynaecologists from all over the world, he spearheaded the co-creation of an innovative, reusable manual vacuum extractor.

The concept for this groundbreaking device was born from a collective of gynaecologists and obstetricians working in Sub-Saharan Africa. They recognized a critical issue with the use of disposable vacuum extractors in low-resource settings. Despite being intended for single use, these devices were often reused until they became inoperative. This practice posed a significant risk of infection, as these devices were not designed for sterilisation.

In resource-constrained environments, gynaecologists had no choice but to reuse these devices, highlighting the urgent need for a patient-friendly, easily sterilisable, and reusable solution. Building upon Christiaan's pioneering work, he and the dedicated team at LAYCO embarked on the journey to develop a new design, which would later become known as vela®. Through collaborative efforts with hospitals in Kenya, Uganda and the Netherlands, the vela® device was meticulously designed, rigorously validated and successfully brought to life.