Experts have said the adoption of Artificial Intelligence and machine learning will help transform Uganda’s healthcare sector.
Speaking during the fourth annual smart summit at Kampala Serena Hotel on Thursday, Dr. Harrison Muiru, the Managing Director of Smart Application Group, emphasized that incorporating AI will not only benefit Uganda but also the entire African continent bridge the gap between healthcare practitioners and patients, especially in areas facing a shortage of doctors.
He noted that AI technologies could enable mechanisms such as telehealth, including symptom checking and clinical decision support systems.
“We are seeing that there has been more use in various work streams of AI, what we are seeing, in particular, in health, this can help our African continent in bridging the gap between healthcare practitioners, where we have a shortage of doctors to patients and enable mechanisms such As telehealth, such as symptoms checking and clinical,” Dr.Muiru said.
He noted its is high time the country explorde how simple tools like smartphones can be leveraged to deliver AI in a localized context, making a meaningful impact on people living in rural areas.
“Now imagine that person in the village up north or in whichever part of the country they have access to a mobile phone. Our engagements have focused on discussions on how we can leverage such simple tools to deliver AI in a localized content and in a way that can impact that individual wherever he is,” he said.
Dr.Muiru called for the use of available tools, particularly those on mobile phone technology, and to promote AI within the context of local language models.
He urged privileged individuals in underserved communities to lead efforts in helping others adopt technology, emphasizing the need for collaboration with infrastructure providers, such as telecom companies, to enhance connectivity for healthcare in these areas.
“This calls for collaboration, where infrastructure providers, connectivity providers such as MTN, Airtel and the others, are able to see how they can provide certain focus areas within their expansions and enhancements of their connectivity to serve these underserved communities through special considerations of extended connectivity for healthcare use cases.”
The summit was held under the theme “Advancing healthcare accessibility through digital automation and AI.”
During the summit, several discussions were sparked on addressing Africa’s most pressing healthcare challenges.
Key topics included the need for improved data systems, patient care optimization, and enhanced operational efficiency.
Dr. Davis Musinguzi, the CEO and co-founder at Rocket Health stated that AI presents numerous opportunities, noting that we will see many applications directly impacting healthcare.
He noted that AI and automation will expedite insurance claims, creating opportunities for healthcare professionals to increase their earnings and provide timely and effective services to customers.
“It’s very interesting the opportunities that AI actually does present. I think we’re going to see a lot of applications that impact healthcare directly, whether it’s on the insurance claim side, on the insurance side with automation, if claims get reviewed faster, means providers of healthcare can be paid faster, meaning that customers get a better service,” Dr.Musinguzi said.
He noted that AI can significantly assist with data analysis and automate many tasks within healthcare facilities, making the process more convenient for consumers as they seek healthcare services.
Dr.Musinguzi emphasized the importance of AI in simplifying doctors’ work and encouraged healthcare professionals to upskill in these tools to ensure they provide the best possible value for patients and improve healthcare overall.
“I think you know doctors are going to be better served collaborating with the AI rather than trying to just rely on entirely their own mental skill set. So being able to collaborate is going to be a unique advantage for whoever is providing better care. So I think that goes to say that we should encourage every professional to upskill on some of these tools so we can make sure that we get the best possible value we can for them, for the betterment of our patients and healthcare in general.”
The chief executive officer at the Insurance training college, Saul Seremba, said that AI and automation will reduce on frauds and also enhance the customer experience.
“I think it is a good way to curb so many things. One, bring efficiency, two, improving the customer convenience, but initially, people would do lots of things because there was no check, but now, with the solutions available, it is, it is almost impossible. we can’t say it is hundred percent, but it’s almost impossible for someone to do frauds. and if we go this way, it will reduce frauds, but also it will enhance the customer experience. because there is convenience, it is fast and is reliable.”
