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KIGALI,Rwanda,May 9,2024 – A $50 million partnership between the Gates Foundation and OpenAI aims to bring artificial intelligence to 1,000 primary healthcare clinics across Sub-Saharan Africa by 2028,a move that could dramatically reshape healthcare access for millions. This initiative directly addresses a critical shortage of healthcare workers, a problem that threatens decades of progress in global health.
A looming crisis in healthcare staffing is pushing innovators to explore AI solutions.
The initiative, dubbed “Horizon1000,” will begin in rwanda, working with African leaders to deploy AI tools in healthcare settings. Bill Gates detailed his vision for AI as a “gamechanger” for expanding access to quality care in a recent statement.
“A few years ago, I wrote that the rise of artificial intelligence would mark a technological revolution as far-reaching for humanity as microprocessors, PCs, mobile phones, and the Internet,” Gates wrote. “Everything I’ve seen since then confirms my view that we are on the cusp of a breathtaking global transformation.”
What’s driving the need for AI in african healthcare? Sub-Saharan Africa faces a shortfall of nearly 6 million healthcare workers, a gap so large that conventional hiring and training efforts are unlikely to close it in the foreseeable future. The World Health Institution (WHO) estimates that low-quality care contributes to 6 million to 8 million deaths annually in low- and middle-income countries.
Rwanda,the initial focus of Horizon1000,currently has only one healthcare worker per 1,000 people,far below the WHO’s recommended four per 1,000. At the current rate of training and recruitment, it would take 180 years to reach the recommended level, according to Gates.
“As part of the Horizon1000 initiative, we aim to accelerate the adoption of AI tools across primary care clinics, within communities, and in people’s homes,” Gates wrote. “Thes AI tools will support health workers, not replace them.”
Rwanda’s Minister of Health, Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, recently announced the launch of an AI-powered Health Intelligence Center in Kigali, describing AI as the “third major discovery” to transform medicine, following vaccines and antibiotics. Gates expressed agreement with this assessment.
“If you live in a wealthier country and have seen a doctor recently, you may have already seen how AI is making life easier for health care workers,” Gates wrote. “Instead of taking notes constantly, they can now spend more time talking directly to you about your health, while AI transcribes and summarizes the visit.”
In regions with limited infrastructure, these AI capabilities could address “generational challenges” previously considered insurmountable. The gates Foundation plans to collaborate closely with innovators and governments across Sub-Saharan Africa as the initiative expands, with Gates planning a visit to the region to observe the AI solutions in action.