Google has chosen two Kenyan health firms for a three-month Growth Academy that integrates artificial intelligence (AI) for growth in the healthcare sector.
Zuri Health and iZola Limited are two of 30 businesses chosen globally for the hybrid program, one of five chosen in Africa. The initiative’s goal is to encourage innovative firms that responsibly use AI technology to grow and innovate. Mentorship and networking opportunities will be part of the program, and the firm owners will develop data-driven strategies that will open doors for new clients and collaborations. They will take advantage of the chance to learn and enlarge into new markets by utilizing cutting-edge technologies.
“Africa’s inventive spirit in the field of AI for Health is incredibly motivating. These start-ups provide evidence of the continent’s capacity to create solutions for global health issues. “As they work to scale and spread their ground-breaking solutions, we want to stand alongside them, offering support and partnership,” said Yuval Passov, Head of Google for Startup and program director.
The two firms offer telemedicine, with iZola Limited concentrating on providing therapeutic help for families with neurodivergent children utilizing an AI-integrated platform.
Studies suggest that telemedicine in the nation peaked during the pandemic, and it is currently gaining ground.
According to a study published in the International Journal of Telemedicine and Applications this year, “We showed that the coronavirus pandemic had a modest increase in the utilization of telemedicine for healthcare services delivery during the pandemic period probably due to limited infrastructure to scale up.”
According to the survey, Kenyan doctors are now more knowledgeable about telemedicine possibilities, which they enthusiastically support.
According to the report, “the current use in Kenya is to support doctor-to-doctor consultations and provide education with minimal use in actual healthcare delivery.”
The study reveals that there are challenges to its widespread use and implementation across the nation.
Telemedicine is only occasionally used to offer patients direct healthcare services. According to the researchers, telemedicine is frequently utilized in conjunction with in-person clinical services, enabling continuity of clinical services outside of the actual hospital infrastructure.
“In Africa and other developing countries, significant improvements are needed in multiple areas cutting across regulatory, infrastructural, legal, and financial, to better support telemedicine services and improve healthcare delivery,” they continue.
The scientists contend that telemedicine may be made more widely known and adopted in the nation if it is taught as part of healthcare providers’ training curricula.
The use of the new digital health choices is anticipated to double, according to a report 6Wresearch published in 2020 that forecasts the country’s telehealth market. Between 2020 and 2026, a six-year projection was created.
“With a market value in the double digits of billions, it is estimated that the industry will generate revenues in the triple digits and experience strong growth over the next ten years. The report stated that this large increase in market value can be attributed to the growing use of digitalized and virtual platforms supported by the healthcare sector’s superior growth trends.
The increase is attributed, according to the research, to the increased incidence of chronic illnesses in the nation.
“Double-digit growth prospects for the Kenya telehealth market are expected to ramp up due to the increase in healthcare costs, a spur in technological innovations in the healthcare sector, and efforts to find a resolution to address the accessibility issues of the healthcare sector in remote areas, which have been a perennial problem in the developing economies across the world,” they explained.
Google has so far helped 106 firms from 17 African nations five years after launching the Google for Firms Accelerator programs there.
Over 2,800 employment have been created by these firms, which have collectively raised over $263 million in capital.
