Kenyan Start Up Stares Into COVID’s Face - Armed With AI And Blockchain

Remember the days when you could stroll into a restaurant, have a seat, order a meal, enjoy your meal and leave without frantically wondering about the distance between you and another person, whether your face mask is adjusted correctly, and whether or not the food is sanitary as per COVID regulations? Those days may seem like they are well in the past, but a new era of living has now come into the grand scheme of things. Buoying us through this new era, is a Kenyan e-health startup known as Afya Rekod.

The start up recently launched its artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain based consumer-driven health data platform in support of global efforts to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. The Afya Rekod portal allows people across the world to store their health data in real-time, with a special focus on COVID-19. The launch of the platform, which was built to help users store their own health data, access health information and connect to health service providers, was originally set for July, but has been brought forward.

Digitalised economies and infrastructures have lower epidemic risks because some channels of information about risks are more refined, allowing for an array of possible infection situations to be bypassed. Moreover, digital development is known as a key solution to helping Kenya gain the upper hand in her grapple against the virus.

Afya Rekod has streamlined their focus into helping patients access health care. The platform is playing an instrumental role in health monitoring, contact tracing and social distance training. Plus, those individuals with underlying diseases have access to all the necessary information to manage their health properly.

Developed as a patient driven platform, the patient maintains the sovereign right of ownership to their health data. Using AI and various blockchain modules, Afya Rekod allows health institutions, partners and patients to make insightful data driven decisions that allows doctors to provide better healthcare for patients.

Using a combination of SaaS Platform, Mobile APP and USSD, AfyaRekod is able lead the pack with disease tracking, contact tracing, remote training and mapping of various outbreaks and pandemics.

The steps the platform has taken point to how hugely focused on data and AI it is. John Kamara, the man behind the platform, is currently building an AI and data science team as well to create more high tech jobs.

In the healthcare industry, the dependence on platforms like Afya Rekod cannot be overstated. Hence, why there is an a space for other such brilliant innovations to emerge.