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To mark the recent Africa HealthTech Summit in Kigali, Rwanda — an event that brings together a diverse group of digital health innovators and public health experts to share knowledge and ideas to help transform the healthcare landscape in Africa — here’s how Google is working with organizations and partners across Africa to research and explore new AI-powered healthcare tools.
Ultrasounds are key in early pregnancy to identify potential issues but require skilled operators, a challenge in low-resource settings. Google’s research demonstrates that AI can enable less experienced operators to perform ultrasounds effectively. Partnering with Jacaranda Health in Kenya, they aim to validate AI’s clinical use, enhancing ultrasound accessibility and understanding its implementation, supporting broader access to essential prenatal care.
Frontline health workers in Africa, crucial to the healthcare system, face care coordination and data quality challenges. Google’s Open Health Stack enables developers to create mobile, technology-driven health solutions, facilitating the adoption of the HL7 FHIR standard. To empower local developers, Google partnered with Kabarak University and IntelliSOFT Consulting for a bootcamp in Kenya, training over 180 participants in building digital health tools.
The World Health Organization identifies TB as a leading global death cause, particularly impacting Africa. Google has collaborated with African entities and Right to Care to launch AI-powered TB screenings in Sub-Saharan Africa, aiming to offer 100,000 free screenings to early detect and reduce TB spread.
Nigeria, with just 0.06% of global births, faces 28% of the world’s maternal deaths, partly due to long travel times to care. A new tool, developed with the OnTIME consortium and utilizing Google’s directions API, helps visualize travel times to emergency obstetric care, aiding in identifying access gaps for expectant mothers.
Google.org has allocated $25 million through its AI for the Global Goals initiative to 15 organizations utilizing AI to advance the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, with a focus on health outcomes. This includes RAD-AID’s work on AI for X-ray interpretation in low-resource hospitals and Makerere AI Lab’s development of 3D printed microscope adapters and AI apps to expedite diagnoses in remote areas, underscoring Google’s commitment to healthcare innovation.
Acknowledging the hurdles of infrastructural limitations and the need for contextually relevant data, Google is committed to developing AI solutions that are not only innovative but also practical for African environments. This involves creating bespoke AI models that cater to the unique healthcare challenges of different regions and investing in comprehensive training programs to ensure the successful adoption and sustainable impact of these technologies.
Galenica at Vivatech 2024 - Read the Press Coverage and Clippings
The investment is the foundation’s latest effort to bring the benefits of AI to low- and middle-income countries.
The Gates Foundation recently announced the winners of their Grand Challenge for “Catalyzing Equitable Artificial Inte
