AI-supported telemedicine brings health care to refugees

NAIROBI, Kenya — Nonprofits are working smarter at delivering health care to refugees in Africa as artificial intelligence-powered telemedicine makes humanitarian inroads on the continent. The technology is able to overcome a slew of barriers to connect refugees in camps to specialist doctors based within and outside Africa. Studies show that language, distance, discrimination, lack of transportation, and not having documentation to allow for unrestricted movement are among the challenges denying refugees access to health care services. Brigid Waliuba, the health technical adviser at the International Rescue Committee, also cited overstretched health facilities in camps and restricted donor funding as some of the greatest challenges that her organization faces working with refugees in Africa. But she said that AI-supported telemedicine has enabled more refugee patients to be seen even when there is a low doctor-to-patient ratio because of reduced travel and waiting time and the ability to triage patients based on the urgency of their condition. “Specialist doctors cannot be based in refugee camps due to the high demand for their services. But with AI and telemedicine, we can reach them, hence making the workload for health workers easier. We are also able to give quality healthcare to more patients in camps,” Waliuba told Devex. She said the number of refugees in Africa keeps growing every year, with the Eastern region and the Horn of Africa accounting for 20.2 million internally displaced persons, or IDPs, and 5 million refugees and asylum seekers, according to a 2024 report by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development. Experts are especially focusing on the crisis in Sudan, where war has internally displaced more than half the population while about 2.3 million have fled to other countries. Like other refugees, they face severe constraints in accessing essential commodities and services including food, water, and health care in the places where they have sought sanctuary, according to Amina Mahmoud Shaein, the co-founder of the Gender Centre for Research and Training in Sudan. Alongside the loss of income, jobs, and homes that has worsened economic hardships for the displaced, a growing number of refugees face stress and psychological trauma, she said. “We are in a very serious disaster situation because of this war. There is sexual violence and this makes it a bit harder for women because of their vulnerable situation and specific needs like healthcare. Pregnant women without healthcare are in a very difficult situation,” Shaein said. But high-tech innovations are emerging to fill this gap, including the Sudan Clinic chatbot, an AI-assisted telemedicine service that offers free virtual health care to Sudanese refugees who have fled their war-ravaged country. The Sudan Clinic, which taps the power of phone connectivity, was developed by the conversation cloud firm Gupshup in collaboration with Meta. The Sudan Clinic serves refugees from 42 countries in Africa, Middle East, and Europe including Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom, according to Ravi Mehta, the sales director at Gupshup. Refugees only need an internet-enabled phone to see a team of volunteer doctors working with the clinic by presenting their case through the centralized WhatsApp number +44 7715 203515. They send automated messages to triage agents through direct WhatsApp messages, using a QR code or by clicking on a web link that interfaces with WhatsApp, Mehta explained. The triage agents virtually assess the patient’s condition, then route the medical data to about 90 volunteer specialist doctors who immediately diagnose it and prescribe treatment, he said. “People are sharing X-rays, test reports, images, wise notes, recordings and doctors are seeing these. Based on that they are providing them consulting advises on what doses or the kind of medicines they should opt for,” Mehta said. The technology has united the Sudanese diaspora and Sudan-based doctors to volunteer their time through the nonprofits Africa Foundation of Development, or AFFORD, and Shabaka, with support from Sudan Medical Specialization Board. “This service is completely free for patients. It can be scaled to countries where health care services are limited. As we see the number of patients increasing eventually, we expect philanthropists and international agencies to come have a look at it and see if they can fund this program altogether,” Mehta said. Waliuba sees the reach of AI in Africa’s health care systems as the future for humanitarian response due to the continent’s widening digital connectivity. Around 68% of refugee households in urban areas have an internet-capable smartphone, while that number in rural refugee households is 22%, the U.N. Refugee Agency reported. The digital divide among marginalized groups, however, is still huge, with about 20% of refugees in rural regions living in areas without mobile and electricity connectivity. Those who have bridged the digital divide spend a large share of their disposable income to remain connected, UNHCR reported. This is where supporting innovations such as solar energy generation and social protection initiatives like cash transfers in refugee camps come into play, Waliuba said. In the meantime, Waliuba and others will keep pushing to take advantage of the advances of AI to help refugees get the medical care they deserve. “These technologies are being recognized for their potential to improve healthcare access, reduce costs and bridge other gaps in regions like the global south where infrastructure and resources are limited,” Waliuba said.