Tag Archives: Health

Small AI, big bets: How the world’s most impactful AI startups will be built in emerging markets

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Walk into a hospital in Nigeria, where one doctor serves every 9,000 patients–fifteen times the WHO-recommended ratio. Every minute that a doctor spends on administrative work is a minute taken from a patient who may have waited hours to be seen.

A Nigerian startup decided to do something about it. They built a voice-based tool that transcribes and structures clinical notes in real time, offline, on a small computer box installed right in the hospital ward. Doctors get time back. Patients get more of their attention. The startup did not adapt a tool built for a hospital in Boston or Berlin. They built it for the conditions on the ground in the language people speak. The result attracted investors and has a path to sustainable growth.

That story is not the exception. It is the blueprint.

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Harnessing AI and private innovation to close health gaps

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Good health fuels human potential — supporting education, work, and productivity. For people in emerging markets, it is essential to participating in a growing economy. Yet the scale of the global health challenge remains daunting: an estimated 4.5 billion people still lack access to essential health services. Health systems worldwide face worker shortages, weak infrastructure, rising demand, and financial barriers. In these constrained environments, AI offers real promise.

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Building Ethiopia’s Pharmaceutical Future: From Strong Regulation to Local Production

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Ethiopia is transforming from an import-dependent market into a pharmaceutical manufacturing hub. After becoming the 9th African nation to reach WHO Maturity Level 3, local production now exceeds 40% of medicine supply. This WBG feature examines how regulation, the Kilinto Special Economic Zone, and research at AHRI and CDT-Africa are driving jobs, exports, and health sovereignty.

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Western and Central African Leaders Launch a Roadmap to Tackle Health Crisis in the Region

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ACCRA, May 5, 2026 – A dozen ministers of health and finance, alongside representatives of development partners, the private sector, civil society, regional institutions and youth leaders from Western and Central Africa concluded a one-day meeting in Accra on May 4th to advance the health, nutrition and population agenda and deliver better access to quality health care for communities across the region.

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Strengthening Health Systems in Sahel’s Fragile Communities

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Results Highlights

​Between 2018 and 2024, results achieved included: 

  • ​Expanded and improved health services: Over 5 million people in Mali and Mauritania accessed basic health services, half of them women, far exceeding the original goal of 3.65 million. Health centers in targeted regions of both countries significantly improved quality through better equipment, staff training, and patient care.  
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India: World Bank Approves Three Projects in Assam State to Increase Access to Markets, Jobs and Services

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WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2026 —The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved three projects to help the Indian state of Assam increase resilience to extreme weather events, improve governance and service delivery, and provide more than 4 million students with the skills they need to succeed in the workforce.  

Assam, located in India’s northeast, is uniquely positioned as the gateway to Southeast Asia, offering strategic connectivity for regional trade and integration. At the same time, Assam faces challenges such as climate vulnerability, inadequate infrastructure, and multidimensional poverty, which hinder inclusive growth.

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The Economics of a Livable Planet: 5 Things Every Policymaker, CEO, and Development Practitioner Should Know

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For decades, policymakers assumed that prosperity is driven by building infrastructure, mobilizing labor, and creating financial systems to spur investment – while nature has been treated as abundant and free. Yet economic progress always relied on Earth’s natural assets: fertile soils that feed civilizations, clean water that sustains health and productivity, and forests that supply materials. But what happens when natural resources and the services they provide are no longer abundant?

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Progress Toward 1.5 Billion Health Care Goal Advances as Countries Adopt National Health Compacts

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Reforms focus on expanding primary care, improving affordability, and supporting job-rich growth

TOKYO, Dec. 6, 2025 — Countries and partners today reported continued progress toward the World Bank Group’s goal—set in April 2024—to help deliver affordable, quality health services to 1.5 billion people by 2030. Building on that momentum, 15 countries introduced National Health Compacts, outlining practical, five-year reforms that aim to expand primary health care, improve affordability, and support job-rich economic growth.

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World Bank Group and the Global Fund Join Forces to Strengthen Health Systems and Expand Sustainable Health Financing

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World Bank Group and Global Fund sign a new Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen primary healthcare and the fight against HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria

Washington, D.C. / Geneva, 6 December 2025 – The World Bank Group and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to help developing countries build stronger, more resilient health systems and secure sustainable financing for primary health care and the fight against HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria.

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Indonesia’s Ministry of Health and Philips to deliver nationwide coverage of advanced image-guided therapy systems in Indonesia, expanding access to cardiac, stroke and cancer care in all 38 provinces

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The following article is from the Philips Global website

  • Long-term multiyear agreements will see Philips installing its advanced Azurion image-guided therapy systems nationwide across all provinces, including rural and remote areas
  • Initiative brings minimally invasive care to millions of cardiac, stroke and cancer patients in Indonesia
  • Combines cutting-edge treatment technology, services and training to strengthen Indonesia’s health infrastructure
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