“Across Africa, more than 100 million people live with chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol. For many, managing these illnesses is a daily struggle due to forgotten medications, limited access to providers, high costs, and geographical isolation. AFIYA aims to change this narrative. AFIYA’s features are tailored to meet Africa’s diverse healthcare needs. It offers medication reminders and alerts, prescription refills, and drug delivery – all through WhatsApp.” – the Founder of HubPharm Africa, Pharm. Sesan Kareem(1).
In a bold step toward accessible and intelligent healthcare, HubPharm Africa has introduced AFIYA, an AI-powered health companion that operates directly within WhatsApp. Designed to speak over 30 African languages, AFIYA combines artificial intelligence with everyday digital tools to provide medical reminders, mental health support, and preventive health tips to millions across the continent. Built on Amazon Web Services (AWS), this “AI doctor on WhatsApp” is transforming how Africans access healthcare—one chat at a time.
A Breakthrough for African Healthcare
Africa has continued to face a wide range of healthcare challenges, which have a direct impact on people accessing quality healthcare. From inadequate medical infrastructure and a shortage of skilled professionals to limited access in rural areas, the continent’s health systems struggle to meet the needs of its growing population(2).
AFIYA emerges as a digital bridge—bringing healthcare services to people through a platform they already use daily. By leveraging WhatsApp, Africa’s most popular messaging app, HubPharm eliminates the need for a new app download or specialized training. With a simple chat, users can set medication reminders, request prescription refills, access mental health support, or receive preventive health education(3).
Multilingual, Multimodal, and Made for Africa
What makes AFIYA stand out is its ability to communicate in multiple languages and supports other modes of interaction (multilingual and multimodal design). The platform understands and responds in over 30 languages, including English, Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, Swahili, French, and Arabic. This inclusivity ensures that language is not a barrier for users who may struggle with the English language. They can access reliable health information and support in their native tongues. Moreover, AFIYA isn’t limited to text-based communication. The system supports voice interaction, emotional tone recognition, and visual prompts, enabling users with low literacy or visual impairments to interact easily(3).
According to HubPharm, the AI health companion was developed to make healthcare accessible, affordable, and personal for everyone, everywhere.
AFIYA is Designed to- Help users order and refill their medications with ease, provide personalized health guidance in their preferred language, offer support for managing chronic conditions and making lifestyle changes, facilitate access to mental health check-ins and emotional support, and encourage the development of healthier habits for a better quality of life.
Built on a Solid Tech Backbone
The platform is hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS), ensuring reliability, scalability, and data protection with 24/7 accessibility via WhatsApp. AWS provides a secure infrastructure for handling sensitive health data while maintaining compliance with global standards such as HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)(4).
By integrating with existing pharmacy and telemedicine systems, AFIYA ensures users can easily connect to licensed pharmacists and doctors when human assistance is needed. The system also enables diaspora families to remotely support loved ones at home through reminders and payment for prescriptions—a first in African digital health.
As Africa pushes toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC), AFIYA stands as a model of how technology can bridge health gaps. By embedding healthcare into social communication tools, HubPharm is not only making medicine more accessible but also transforming how people think about health.
References
1. This Day Live. Africa Healthcare Get AI-Powered Multimodal, AFIYA Connect. 2025; Available from: https://www.thisdaylive.com/2025/10/11/africa-healthcare-get-ai-powered-multimodal-afiya-connect/
2. Michael Animasaun. Africa’s Healthcare in 2024: Challenges, Progress & Shaping the Future. 2024; Available from: https://www.wallchartafrica.com/blog/africa-s-healthcare-in-2024-3a-challenges-progress-shaping-the-future
3. HubPharmAfrica. Your Smart Health Ally, Anytime, Anywhere. [Internet]. 2025. Available from: https://hubpharmafrica.com/afiya/
4. HubPharmAfrica. HubPharm Unveils Innovative AI Health Companion, AFIYA [Internet]. 2025. Available from: https://hubpharmafrica.com/hupharm-unveils-innovative-ai-health-companion-afiya/
