The Human Chain Behind Digital Health
Real-world lessons of building diagnostic software in Africa — where success depends not only on powerful technology, but on the drivers who form the human chain of care.
Some years ago, we began building software systems to connect remote pathologists to the many countries across the world experiencing diagnostic challenges. In the process, we’ve learned some powerful lessons — and I’d like to share the top two that I believe every digital health system builder should understand:
1. Digital solutions only work when every human link in the chain is respected.
Through many hard lessons, I’ve learned that building a digital health system isn’t just about writing code. The doctor who performs the biopsy. The nurse who carries it to the lab. The technologist who prepares it for scanning. The driver who collects it. The pathologist who reports on it late into the evening.
Every one of them must feel ownership in the process. The system works only when each role is valued and empowered. I have immense respect for our partners — each making the work of the other predictable, safe, and ultimately life-saving.
2. The technology already exists — the challenge is how we use it.
When we started, I had no idea how much was already out there: cloud computing, scanning technologies, ERP systems, learning platforms. Today, we’re surrounded by tools ready to be customised to solve the world’s toughest problems — including the diagnostic crisis facing much of Africa.
Even the image accompanying this article is AI-generated, a small tribute to the many Kenyan pathologists who serve hundreds of patients every month through our digital infrastructure.
There has never been a more opportune time to transform Africa than now.
