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Kenya uses AI chatbot to combat maternal mortality
Jacaranda Health has implemented an AI-powered SMS service called PROMPTS to help reduce maternal mortality rates in Kenya. The program, which has been in development since 2020, allows pregnant women to ask medical questions via text message, making healthcare accessible to those without smartphones or reliable internet access.
According to Jay Patel, director of technology for Jacaranda Health, the volume of inquiries has grown from fewer than 100 questions per day to approximately 15,000. The system is currently utilized in public clinics across 24 Kenyan counties.
The AI is designed to prioritize messages and flag urgent concerns. Approximately 7% of incoming texts are identified as potentially critical and are immediately routed to a human nurse for direct intervention. This rapid response capability is vital in a country where roughly 6,000 women die annually from pregnancy-related causes, often due to delays in seeking medical care.
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What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 2 SOURCES] The PROMPTS service operates via SMS and is free to users. www.npr.org · www.kpbs.org
- [○ 1 SOURCE] About 6,000 women in Kenya die each year from childbirth or pregnancy-related causes. www.ksfr.org
- [● 2 SOURCES] Approximately 7% of messages are flagged by the AI as potentially urgent and routed to a nurse. www.npr.org · www.kpbs.org
- [● 3 SOURCES] The number of daily questions received by the service has grown from fewer than 100 to 15,000. www.npr.org · www.ksfr.org · www.kpbs.org
- [● 2 SOURCES] The PROMPTS service is used in 24 Kenyan counties. www.npr.org · www.kpbs.org
- [● 3 SOURCES] Jacaranda Health uses an AI-powered program called PROMPTS to assist pregnant women. www.npr.org · www.ksfr.org · www.kpbs.org