Skincare, maternal health and other ways Google is revolutionizing healthcare in Africa with AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and associated technologies promise to improve healthcare delivery in under-resourced environments rapidly. Africa stands to greatly accelerate and improve its health standards with the application of AI.

The advent of mobile technology, Electronic Medical Record Systems (EMRs) and cloud computing have also laid a pathway for the delivery of advanced artificial intelligence technologies that have the potential to close the gap in healthcare outcomes between Africa and the rest of the world. As a frontier in that space, Google is leveraging the technology to improve healthcare delivery in the continent.

Every day across Africa, people turn to Google products like Search, YouTube, and Fitbit for insights about their health and well-being. However, many are unaware of its recent research endeavours aimed at understanding how AI can help improve healthcare outcomes for people; and how it can empower health practitioners to deliver better health services—from improving maternal health outcomes to building useful digital tools for healthcare workers.

To mark the upcoming 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 now working with partners across Africa to research and explore new AI-powered healthcare tools.

Read also: Google’s AI program to support health-tech startups solve African healthcare issues

Searching for Skin Conditions Using Images

Describing skin rashes or moles accurately with words alone can be challenging. To bridge this gap, Google Lens introduced a groundbreaking feature in the US and Japan earlier this year, allowing users to search for information about skin conditions using images rather than text.

This technology is now expanding to serve the entire African continent, enabling users to capture a photo, upload it to Lens, and discover visually similar matches. It’s a game-changer for situations where you’re unsure how to describe a skin issue, such as a bump on your lip, a line on your nails, or hair loss on your head.

Improving Maternal Health Outcomes in Kenya

While ultrasounds are effective for identifying potential issues in early pregnancy, capturing and interpreting ultrasound images is a complex medical skill that typically demands years of training. Due to a shortage of experts, up to 50% of pregnant women in low-resource settings do not receive ultrasound screenings during pregnancy.

In a paper published last year, Google demonstrated that AI models can make ultrasounds more accessible to lightly trained operators in under-resourced settings. To put this into practice, Google is collaborating with Jacaranda Health, a Kenyan nonprofit dedicated to enhancing health outcomes for mothers and babies in government hospitals. Together, they aim to validate the use of AI in clinical settings and conduct research to understand the current approach to ultrasounds in Kenya.

Using open health stack to build apps for healthcare workers

Frontline health workers in Africa play a pivotal role in bridging communities and the healthcare system. However, they often encounter challenges related to care coordination and data quality. To address these issues and facilitate better care, healthcare developers in Africa now have access to Google’s Open Health Stack.

This innovative platform enables the development of next-generation digital health tools, making it easier to adopt the HL7 FHIR standard. Google, in partnership with Kabarak University and IntelliSOFT Consulting, hosted its inaugural Open Health Stack BootCamp in Kenya to empower local developers with the necessary skills.

Screening for Tuberculosis Using AI

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a pressing global health concern, with over 25% of TB deaths occurring in Africa, according to the World Health Organization. Early detection is vital to reducing community spread and improving outcomes.

In response to this challenge, Google partnered with an AI-based organization under the leadership of Right to Care, a not-for-profit entity with extensive experience in TB care in Africa. The collaboration aims to provide 100,000 free AI-powered TB screenings across Sub-Saharan Africa, offering an effective and cost-efficient solution for early TB detection.

Supporting Access to Emergency Obstetric Care in Nigeria

Nigeria, though accounting for only 0.06% of annual global births, contributes a staggering 28% of global maternal deaths each year. Prolonged travel times are a contributing factor to negative maternal outcomes. Google recently launched a tool in Nigeria, developed in collaboration with the OnTIME consortium, to address challenges surrounding access to emergency obstetric care.

Leveraging Google’s internal directions API, the same technology that powers Google Maps navigation, the tool provides decision-makers with data on average travel times to the nearest emergency obstetric facilities for different regions. This valuable information helps stakeholders identify areas where expectant mothers may have limited geographic access to life-saving care.

Read also: Nigeria’s mDoc and PharmaRun among 5 African startups selected for Google AI for Health Program

Finally,

Google Health’s initiatives in Africa demonstrate its commitment to harnessing AI for the betterment of healthcare. From improving maternal health outcomes to leveraging AI for TB screening and providing tools to aid healthcare workers, Google’s contributions are transforming healthcare access and delivery across the continent.

Recently, its Startups Growth Academy announced the start of its program, AI for Health. It is a three-month program for Seed to Series A high-potential startups based in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa with a keen dedication to supporting these startups with AI technology.