Kenyan healthcare startup to launch AI, blockchain-driven platform in support of global efforts to curb Covid-19

March 26, 2020: Kenyan health tech startup Afya Rekod is sprinting to launch its artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain built consumer-driven health data platform amidst the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. The platform aims to support global efforts to curb the disease by providing a portal for people across the world to store their health data in real-time, with a special focus on Covid-19.

Afya Rekod is currently in discussions with various entities across governments and developing partners to explore how their efforts can be accelerated urgently for Covid 19.

The platform aims to capture real-time users’/patients’ health data; drive connectivity and engagement between patients, doctors and other health care providers; the company is sprinting to launch 4 months ahead of original launch plans.

This advanced system is built to help users store their own health data, access health information and connect to health service providers that were set to launch at the end of July 2020.

Founder and CEO of Afya Rekod John Kamara said, “Afya Rekod is a medical data storage platform that allows patients to store their health records, the medication they take as well as keep journals of their statuses and that of their kids and families. The platform is AI-driven and uses various AI modules to help detect abnormalities, detect early outbreaks and monitor mobility and evolution of diseases via timely data analytics.”

“Africa and most of the third world countries have limited doctors and access to health care services. Lack of patient data in real-time makes the problem even more damaging to both patients and health service providers across the continent. Over 65 percent of Africans live in rural communities that are not connected and are off-grid in terms of access to health care services. This is the problem we are trying to solve,” explained Kamara.

However, the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic has shown the world once again that centralised health management systems that rely solely on people walking into a health facility are not sufficient. The world also needs decentralised systems that enable people to update their own records, anytime, anywhere, in multiple formats.

One of the critical issues affecting the world during emergencies like this includes inefficiency that leads to untimely deaths due to lack of or limited data, scanty access to health care services, unverified information and lack of, and delayed responses among other things.

“We are fast-tracking to launch the platform 4 months ahead of its time to enable the world to capture real-time data that will hit map areas where the corona infections are growing and monitor the growth in real-time by collecting user-generated information from millions of users across multiple geographic locations to allow for sufficient data analysis in support of the global efforts to curb the disease, Kamara stated.