In 2020, the Hospital Association of South Africa said the country had a shortage of between 26 000 and 62 000 professional nurses and that by 2030, the demand for nurses in South Africa would increase to between 305 000 and 340 000.
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of digitalization in supporting access to essential healthcare services in the most remote areas.
Artificial intelligence is one of the few advancements in technology that offer a major promise for the advancement of health. However, that technology will not serve society if it’s not prepared to carry out its function. AI will not automatically assist with health information and care if it’s not trained for local issues and circumstances. Part of our efforts to improve efficiency will have to include improvement and transformation of how health records are collected.
In South Africa, health tech startups growth is fuelled by the need to reduce healthcare costs, while access to brick-and-mortar health services remains a challenge for the rest of the continent. Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa accounted for 85 percent of digital health start-up funding in Africa in 2021.
With the shortage of healthcare workers and limited access to healthcare for persons with disabilities, in remote areas and lower-income households, this calls for disruptors and innovators to address this pain point. We are excited to chat with entrepreneurs in health tech to share with us how they navigate this space. This Startup Huddle will aim to:
Highlight South Africa’s challenges in getting access to essential healthcare as and when needed.
Learn how can we use tech to get effective access to healthcare services.
What opportunities are there for startups who want to venture in the health tech space.
The Startup Huddle event provides a platform for entrepreneurs to discover solutions to the challenges they face through purposeful engagement with a broad array of voices from the local community, who can also share their experiences.
Startups are given context about the topic at hand, which includes tools, tricks and techniques from experts. This can take up to 10min. Thereafter, they will be given 2-3 minutes to tell us about some of the challenges they have encountered in their business venture. Participants then get into small groups where they Huddle for a 10-minute -interactive activity. Each group selects a team member or two to share what they discussed. The Huddle will close off having equipped the techies with practical and value-add experience they can use in their startup journey.
Join us for a day of innovation with live pitches from 10 Pioneering Togolese Tech Startups, an insightful panel discussion on Scaling & Investing in Francophone Africa networking opportunities! This highly anticipated event will be a unique opportunity to witness the future of innovation and its potential impact on the African continent.
Date : 29 November 2024
Time : 17:00 p.m. – 21:00 p.m.
Location : 22 on Sloane Cape Town Hub, 39 Somerset Rd, Green Point, 8005
Date : 27 November 2024
Time : 9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Location : 22 on Sloane Cape Town Hub, 39 Somerset Rd, Green Point, 8005
