Artificial Intelligence is fast emerging as a silver lining to solve some of the daunting health challenges that beset Africa. Health leaders and experts gathered at an international conference in Kigali to discuss how artificial intelligence might transform medical practices to solve some of the most pressing problems on the continent.
The Managing Director of Daedalus, Sam Amory, described AI as “a first or second advisor to doctors,” which will enable them to make quicker and more reliable decisions, especially in radiology. He further added that this technology helps doctors diagnose diseases more effectively by reducing human errors.
Amory further highlighted that with AI, predictive analytics would increase and genetic information-driven personalized medicine would become commonplace, inaugurating a new chapter of personalized healthcare across Africa.
Despite AI’s huge potential, he noted, there is existing hurdles that include lack of adequate infrastructure and unorganized health data storage systems. “You cannot have AI without the infrastructure to support it,” he said.
However, he added that some of these challenges were already being mitigated through such solutions as telemedicine and training in technology.
Rwanda was presented as a country that uses technology in health with very successful impacts. Dr. Ivan Butera, Rwanda’s Minister of State for Health, talked about how the country deployed robots, geomapping, and new advanced tools to fight diseases such as Marburg while improving maternal and child health services.
Boniface Njenga of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation added weight to this call for collaboration, noting that investments into infrastructure and workforce training go a long way in advancing health systems. “Doctors with AI will deliver services superior to those who are without it,” he emphasized.
Artificial Intelligence, amongst other technologically driven ideas, is what provides hope toward a future wherein healthcare is accessible, effective, and available throughout Africa.
