Written Monisola Abosede
Access to quality healthcare in Nigeria can be tedious frustrating and oftentimes futile as a result of poor government funding, poor facilities and lack of equipment, a largely understaffed sector, and so on.
Nigeria has a population of over 200 million people. The Nigeria Medical Association in 2022 disclosed that there are about 24,000 doctors in the country instead of WHO‘s recommended 237,000 which means that there is only 1 doctor available to 10,000 persons.
In 2022, the healthcare sector got 4.9% of the annual budget, a sum of 724.9 billion while in 2023, 5.75 percent of the budget, a sum of #1.7 trillion out of #20.5 trillion was allocated to the health sector. This was the highest the sector has got so far yet it failed to meet the 15% AU commitment to healthcare.
According to the Nigerian Medical Association, Nigeria loses at least $2 billion to medical tourism every year.
Save for a few who can afford private hospitals and travel out of the country for medical care, the majority of Nigerians are left with no option other than government-owned hospitals.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), about 88 million Nigerians live in poverty and survive below $1.9 per day.
Problems like poor funding, lack of facilities and equipment, and understaffing could be said to have impacted and stunted the growth of the Nigerian health sector in terms of technological advancement and overall healthcare delivery. However, the Ibadan-based Skrind AI solution can be a reassurance for quality healthcare delivery.
AI and Health
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in global healthcare is gaining popularity. This could be owing to the many great benefits it adds to healthcare delivery.
It can improve the quality of healthcare services in the areas of administrative work, diagnosis, radiology, data analysis, personalized treatment, virtual assistance, and so on.
Redoes Ghebreyesus, director-general at the World Health Organization, said in an address on AI application in healthcare that an AI-based tool is already being tested to screen for cervical cancer in India, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, and Zambia.
According to Statista, the artificial intelligence (AI) healthcare market, valued at $11 billion in 2021, is projected to be worth $187 billion in 2030. The likes of Zebra Medical Vision, Babylon Health, Google DeepMind, and IBM Watson Health have been able to use AI to identify potential health issues before they occur.
Nigeria and other sub-Saharan countries can be said to be slowly catching up with the trend when compared to other countries.
According to Insights 10, Nigeria’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) market in healthcare is projected to grow from $0.01 billion in 2022 to $0.13 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 46.22% during the forecast period of 2022 – 2030.
Skrind’s AI Solution
Accessing government-owned hospitals for people who reside in rural areas can prove more difficult than for people who live in or close to the cities. Ibadan, capital of Oyo state southwest Nigeria has undergone economic developments in recent years to compete with other economic hubs like Lagos and Abuja. According to the UN, Ibadan is ranked the most second fastest-growing city on the African continent.
However, out of the 33 local governments in Oyo state, only a few are in the Urban area.
In Ibadan, Skrind a self-testing app founded in 2018 by Adekunle Adeluwoye, hopes to provide timely detection of infections and in the long run, help save more lives.
Skrind is a self-testing app designed to diagnose infections like malaria, HIV, and Hepatitis. It is an AI-powered self-testing app built on immunodiagnostic science in rapid test kits for at-home self-testing.
These tests can be administered by users anywhere and at any time in Nigeria. Skrind works by users using the mobile app coupled with a testing kit, the users are guided on how to use the testing kit after which the app provides the result of the test.
Designers of the app say it is a “mobile app that provides one-spot access for vital info on infectious diseases, and a simple DIY self-testing tool for users to discreetly screen themselves using the Skrind app that leverages AI-based algorithm to read and interpret testing kits”
However, an intensive adoption of AI in Nigerian healthcare will boost the healthcare sector. There are only around four doctors per 10,000 people, AI could lessen the workload on doctors, interpret data, fasten diagnosis and treatment periods, and in general help improve health care.
