Rwanda to test AI-powered technology in clinics under a new Gates Foundation project

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Rwanda volition trial exertion powered by artificial quality successful much than 50 wellness clinics arsenic portion of a caller inaugural by the Gates Foundation to enactment 1,000 clinics crossed Africa with the purpose to amended wellness attraction services

ByThe Associated Press

January 22, 2026, 11:36 AM

KIGALI, Rwanda -- KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — Rwanda volition trial exertion powered by artificial quality successful much than 50 wellness clinics arsenic portion of a caller inaugural by the Gates Foundation to enactment 1,000 clinics crossed Africa with the purpose to amended wellness attraction services.

The exertion is intended to fortify alternatively than regenerate objective judgment, portion improving ratio wrong an already stretched wellness system, Andrew Muhire, a elder authoritative with Rwanda’s Ministry of Health, told The Associated Press connected Thursday.

Rwanda present has 1 wellness attraction idiosyncratic for 1,000 patients — acold from the globally recommended ratio of 4:1,000.

The Gates Foundation and OpenAI connected Wednesday launched a caller inaugural dubbed Horizons1000, with associated backing of $50 cardinal implicit 2 years. Bill Gates said the inaugural volition assistance adjacent the wellness inequality gap.

“In poorer countries with tremendous wellness idiosyncratic shortages and a deficiency of wellness systems infrastructure, AI tin beryllium a crippled changer successful expanding entree to prime care,” Gates said successful a blog station connected the launch.

Muhire described it arsenic a “transformative opportunity” that volition amended citizens' entree to wellness care, “reduce administrative burden” and assistance aesculapian professionals marque "more close and timely decisions.”

However, integer experts are disquieted astir AI exertion utilizing the English language, which is not wide spoken successful Rwanda.

Audace Niyonkuru, CEO of AI and unfastened information institution Digital Umuganda, told the AP that efforts are underway to make AI technologies successful Kinyarwanda, the connection spoken by astir 75% of Rwanda’s population.

“Deploying AI technologies that bash not run successful Kinyarwanda would airs a superior obstruction to effectual care,” helium said.