Africa innovates in two critical health systems
In the field of health and health systems surveillance, research and deployment through INDEPTH based in Accra Ghana, Africa led with a 42 global membership on health and demographic surveillance system (HDDS).
The HDDS in South Africa is served by Dikgale village in Limpopo, Hlabisa in KZN, and Agincourt located in north-east Africa near Mozambique.
INDEPTH pioneered health and population research, undergirded the health system with a robust framework that delivers answers to some of the most important questions in development. It operates as a global network of health and demographic surveillance systems (HDSSs) that offer a comprehensive view of community health status.
Another first, the launch of African Population Cohort Consortium (APCC) held in Cape Town last week where I delivered a keynote address the role of integrated information technology platform in revealing patterns needed no overemphasis, suffice to mention that understanding genetics for predisposition to forms of diseases and remedy interventions is a critical success factor.
The contribution of Suppple which just registered at the Luxemburg Stock Exchange on the 14th of May in the deployment of health as a partner to complex health systems is important.
From Cape to Cairo we are as today the 4th of June, seven days from the launch of APCC in Cape Town, Suppple launches AI health bot for AU member states at African Health ExCon in Cairo Egypt.
This Cape Town-London-based technology company Suppple represented by its indefatigable CEO, youthful Eldrid Jordan who is in Cairo this morning, is proud to announce the launch of its AI “health bot” at Africa Health ExCon, the continent’s largest health conference in Cairo, Egypt, this week. The AI health bot will serve to provide digital healthcare assistance to all 54 member states of the African Union (AU), in a revolutionary move to support the establishment of a new public health order for the African continent today.
The AI health bot is data-free and learns from the inputs it receives from consumers. It aims to serve as a strategic tool for local healthcare and regulatory bodies in Africa by leveraging the data provided by individuals to track and trace any regional outbreaks or hotspots where infections may be spreading.
The AI health bot was launched at the African Health ExCon at Egypt’s International Exhibition Center earlier this week.
“The AI health bot will revolutionise how we respond to healthcare crises in Africa through its data-sharing capabilities. It can provide public and private stakeholders with access to healthcare data in real-time - offering a centralised dashboard of information to any government official or healthcare administrator in Africa” shares Prof. Eldrid Jordaan, Co-Founder and CEO at Suppple.
He adds: “Innovation and technology can play a strategic role in shaping the future of healthcare in Africa, and we are delighted to provide real-time data analytics with the AU, and the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) to support the development and deployment of solutions that will ultimately revolutionise how we respond to pandemics and outbreaks in the future.”
The API-driven chatbot offers a powerfully interactive conversational experience for African citizens looking to learn more about their health symptoms or conditions. It will also streamline the interoperability of systems, which would otherwise remain fragmented by the individual silos of different healthcare providers in Africa.
This interconnectedness will ultimately help address several healthcare challenges affecting the continent today, not just in the short-term, but long-term too.
By centralising medical information in this manner, Suppple’s health bot seeks to improve service delivery and the effective deployment of healthcare services, empowering African healthcare systems to step boldly into the 21st century.
“As a company, we aim to continue positioning ourselves at the nexus of innovation, where the pathways of government, academia, and the private sector converge to create purposeful solutions that will matter to the people and not just the market,” concludes Jordaan. This exciting announcement comes just a few days after Suppple’s provisional listing on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange, with an initial market cap of £200 million and a price of £2 per share.
The provisional listing enhances Suppple's capital availability as well as investment attractiveness and hopes to facilitate its growth prospects and fuel its expansion into new markets and sectors across the globe. Suppple is a partner in leave no one behind mission critical endeavours which include education, health and consumer goods.
Dr Pali Lehohla is the non-executive chair of the board of Suppple, a Professor of Practice at the University of Johannesburg, a Research Associate at Oxford University, a board member of Institute for Economic Justice at Wits and a distinguished Alumni of the University of Ghana. He is the former Statistician-General of South Africa
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