This is The Yuan’s first global debate to mark the 110th birthday of Alan Turing, the pioneering father of AI. In light of Africa’s health tech expansion, biochemist Oladimeji Ewumi shares his insights and expertise on the benefits and drawbacks of open medical datasets in Africa’s digital health terrain.

Medtronic has always been at the forefront of medical technology, driving breakthrough innovations to transform patient care with next-generation digital solutions. Vice President and General Manager of Digital Surgery at Medtronic, George Murgatroyd, alongside consultant surgeons with the United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS), shared interesting reviews on Medtronic's latest innovation; the first AI-powered surgical video and analytics platform tailor-made to improve surgical workflows.

In an exclusive interview with The Yuan, Lifespark Chief Executive Officer Joel Theisen spoke with Oladimeji Ewumi, and shared insights on how the company is leveraging artificial intelligence to help aging populations live healthier and longer.

In the past, Africa has often been a bit of a backwater in terms of technology and medical healthcare, but it is fast playing catch up thanks in part to the COVID-19 crisis. The African continent has embraced new technologies post pandemic and is well on its way to implementing a first-rate healthcare system that is the envy of the world.

Africa is under-represented on global genomic repositories, yet researchers have discovered genetic variants that can unlock new vistas for drug discovery in the genome of African populations. While closing existing paucities to foster the inclusion of Africa’s unique genetic datasets can be challenging, artificial intelligence can significantly help overcome such genetic biases.

Artificial intelligence-powered medical devices have become a growing part of everyday life in the healthcare sector. But as more medical devices get fully integrated with AI, can they perfectly bridge the gap between medtech innovators and patients in their quest for patient-centered care?

Africa’s biopharma market is the world’s fastest-growing and will be worth US$70 billion by 2030. Africa’s allure is rapid growth, not market size, and this is good news for big pharma keen on increasing market share in the second-largest continent’s booming biopharma terrain. Africans are under-represented on the clinical trial map, contributing less than 20 percent to all clinical trials conducted globally. Can Artificial intelligence (AI) solve Africa’s clinical trial challenges?

Healthcare delivery remains one of the core components of a nation’s health system. An efficient healthcare delivery system is data-driven, and its professionals must access data to diagnose conditions, treat diseases, prescribe medications, and offer consultations. Africa’s lack of data storage infrastructure, inefficient health data management, shortage of trained healthcare professionals, low healthcare budgets, and poor service integration is stopping data realize their full potential in Africa’s expansive health terrain. Use of data and real-world evidence (RWE) in Africa’s healthcare delivery system is an untapped goldmine.