Improving Healthcare Access with 3D Printing — Kilian Grünagel’s Internship at MTRH, Eldoret

We’re proud to share the story of one of our students, Kilian Grünagel, who recently completed a pivotal internship at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret, Kenya. Kilian joined the long‑standing collaboration between Delft University of Technology and MTRH to expand clinical use of 3D printing for biomedical and orthopaedic care. This project is already delivering practical, low‑cost solutions where they’re most needed.

From November through January, Kilian worked alongside fellow TU Delft students, MTRH staff, and students from Kenyan universities to scale up 3D printing applications across two hospital departments:

Biomedical engineering

Designed and printed replacement parts for broken or out‑of‑service equipment, restoring functionality to machines that would otherwise sit idle.

Developed a decision‑making flowchart to help clinicians and technicians determine when 3D printing is the most appropriate and cost‑effective option for replacement components.

Orthopaedics

Designed and fabricated patient‑specific devices, including AFOs, splints, insoles, and braces, using 3D printing.

Delivered CAD training sessions to build local design capacity so staff and students can create and iterate on solutions in‑house.

Why this matters.

In settings with fragile supply chains, long lead times, or prohibitive costs make timely repairs and patient‑specific devices difficult to obtain. Local 3D printing provides:

• Rapid, affordable replacements for critical equipment parts

• Fast, tailored orthopaedic devices that improve fit and rehabilitation outcomes

• Increased technological autonomy for hospital teams through hands‑on training and shared design workflows

Collaboration, learning, and thanksKilian highlighted how welcoming and open the MTRH staff and students were, and emphasized the value of learning from local engineers and clinicians. He thanked his supervisor, Roos Marieke Oosting, and his teammates Lieve McGee and Miquitte Bosland for their support.

Looking aheadThis internship demonstrates how engineering education, when paired with respectful local collaboration, can produce durable improvements in healthcare delivery. We’re excited to continue supporting these efforts and to see how the decision tools, designs, and training developed during this period scale up across departments and institutions.

Thanks to MTRH and everyone involved, we look forward to the next chapter of this partnership and the continued positive impact on patient care in Eldoret.