Imagine waking up at 2 a.m. with a sick child in a village where the nearest clinic is hours away and there’s no doctor on duty. For many Nigerian families, this is an everyday reality. Now picture opening WhatsApp, typing a few symptoms, and instantly receiving advice from an AI-powered “virtual nurse.”
It is no secret that the Nigerian healthcare system has numerous gaps that require urgent attention. As the most populous country in Africa, with a population exceeding 200 million, effective healthcare delivery is paramount. However, millions of Nigerians have no access to quality healthcare as a result of decades of underfunding, poor infrastructure, and a shortage of healthcare providers. Nigeria has a severe shortage of healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, and allied health workers. The doctor-patient ratio is far below the WHO recommendation, leading to brain drain, as many Nigerian doctors and nurses leave for better opportunities and working conditions abroad.(1).
Against this backdrop, AI-powered “virtual nurses”-digital health assistants accessible through platforms like WhatsApp — are emerging as an innovative solution. But can they truly bridge Nigeria’s healthcare gaps?
Emerging Innovations
Several AI-driven platforms like AwaDoc, AISHA, and ADVISER, are beginning to pave the way for accessing instant healthcare advice, vaccination reminders, and first-line support through familiar tools such as WhatsApp and SMS.
AwaDoc
AwaDoc is an instant healthcare software that integrates an AI-driven chatbot directly into WhatsApp. It simplifies access to immediate healthcare delivery. It helps patients overcome barriers caused by staff shortages and burnout, improving efficiency without driving up costs.(2).
Users simply need to log in to WhatsApp and can immediately start a chat with the AwaDoc bot. They input their symptoms, express health-related concerns or ask health-related questions, and the bot provides more information before connecting them to a medical professional as required.(3).
AISHA by Sproxil
AISHA is an AI-driven healthcare assistant providing simple medical guidance It uses a trained AI model that references verified medical databases and undergoes continuous improvement based on user feedback.. Initially focused on drug authenticity, it now provides quick responses to general health queries via WhatsApp called AISHA chat. It is designed to make access to healthcare simple, private, affordable and available whenever you need it(4,5).
After verifying a medication with Sproxil’s system (QR code or SMS), users get a link to chat with AISHA. It answers up to 15 questions every 24 hours. Also, Users input their medical queries, and AISHA responds with first-aid tips and simple recommendations(5,6).
ADVISER by HelpMum
In 2022, HelpMum completed more than 75,000 SMS and calls to nursing mothers as reminders for their children’s vaccination appointments, with an additional 22,466 reminders recorded within the first three months of 2023. Typically, phone calls are made as follow-ups to SMS reminders, ensuring that mothers do not miss critical immunization schedules(7).
At the core of this initiative is ADVISER — an AI-Driven Vaccination Intervention OptimiSER. Designed to accelerate progress towards SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), ADVISER increases access to healthcare services and vaccinations while reducing maternal and infant mortality in resource-constrained settings.(8).
The system integrates the Vaccination Tracker App in primary healthcare centres and private hospitals in Ibadan, while its community vaccine drive brings services directly to households, sometimes multiple times a week. To overcome barriers such as distance and affordability, ADVISER uses targeted tools including travel vouchers, bus pickups, and tailored SMS/call reminders. The system has helped over 13,000 families in Oyo state improve vaccine uptake.
Virtual nurses, powered by Artificial Intelligence, are not a substitute for human professionals, but rather a complementary force designed to ease the burden on overstretched doctors and nurses while ensuring patients receive timely guidance and support. If implemented thoughtfully, virtual nurses could move from being experimental stopgaps to becoming permanent companions in Nigeria’s healthcare journey, bridging critical gaps while ensuring that no patient is left behind.
References
1. iCreative. The State of Healthcare in Nigeria: Challenges and Prospects. 2024 Oct; Available from: https://nigeriamag.com/the-state-of-healthcare-in-nigeria-challenges-and-prospects/
2. AwaDoc. Simplifying Access To Immediate Healthcare Delivery. 2025; Available from: https://www.awadoc.com/about-us
3. Chimgozirim Nwokoma. Aproko Doctor’s healthtech startup wants to be the first point of health contact for Africans. 2025 Apr; Available from: https://techpoint.africa/feature/awadoc-aproko-doctor-healthtech-startup/
4. Vanguard. Your Medicine, Your Power: Sproxil’s AISHA assistant puts Nigerians in charge of their health. 2025; Available from: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2025/05/your-medicine-your-power-sproxils-aisha-assistant-puts-nigerians-in-charge-of-their-health/
5. Partner. AISHA Technologies launches AISHA Chat: Trusted Health advice on WhatsApp, anytime, anywhere. 2025; Available from: https://techcabal.com/2025/09/09/aisha-technologies-launches-aisha-chat-trusted-health-advice-on-whatsapp-anytime-anywhere/
6. Sproxil. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). 2025; Available from: https://sproxil.com/aisha-faq/
7. Kate Okorie. Bridging the Vaccine Gap in Nigeria With AI. 2023; Available from: https://theafricanmirror.africa/health/bridging-the-vaccine-gap-in-nigeria-with-ai/
8. Vineet Nair, Kritika Prakash, Michael Wilbur, Aparna Taneja, Corinne Namblard, Oyindamola Adeyemo, et al. ADVISER: AI-Driven Vaccination Intervention Optimiser for Increasing Vaccine Uptake in Nigeria. 2022; Available from: https://www.ijcai.org/proceedings/2022/0712.pdf
