Covid-induced telehealth boom in East Africa is picking up pace

Telehealth has boomed during the pandemic, though in underserved East Africa, it could be a game changing trend in terms of improving quality of healthcare. — 123rf

The pandemic has accelerated the pace of technological advances in health care, from video consultations to artificial intelligence-powered triage, and medically underserved East Africa is catching on fast.

With some of the worst doctor-patient ratios in the world, Africa is proving fertile ground for telehealth providers. Babyl, the Rwandan arm of UK-based Babylon Healthcare Services Ltd., said daily consultations went from about 3,000 in March 2020 to more than 5,000 now.