DAR ES SALAAM, Sept. 5 -- A SMALL test strip, a few drops of urine and a colour chart may not immediately look like a major technological breakthrough. Yet, for a patient trying to understand what is causing uncomfortable symptoms, that simple combination can represent an important shift in the way health information is accessed.

Instead of moving directly from symptoms to buying medicines, rapid diagnostic technology is creating an opportunity for people to first obtain preliminary information and then seek appropriate medical advice.

This is the idea behind CheckFor, a range of rapid diagnostic products manufactured by Canadian Biotech Limited-Tanzania, as the company seeks to bring testing closer to patients while strengthening local...