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  Afya Kuu

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  Afya Kuu vision

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  Afya Kuu Platform

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  Interview sessions

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  Demo session with our mentor Rhoda

Inspiration

Every day in Kenya, about 3 women die from cervical cancer — a disease that is 100% preventable if caught early.
Yet most women delay screening because of stigma, hidden costs, or simply not knowing they're at risk.
We were inspired by one question:

What if early detection could be discreet, affordable, and built around women's real lives?

We spoke to women in markets, nurses in rural clinics, and doctors in city hospitals and heard the same frustration: care is reactive, fragmented, and too late.
We wanted to build a solution that uses AI, local data, and human empathy to close that gap.

What It Does

Afya Kuu – Prime Health is an AI-powered care platform that:

• Predicts each woman’s cervical cancer risk before symptoms appear.
• Guides clinicians with clear, guideline-aligned next steps.
• Shows real-time inventory so supplies are there when needed.
• Provides upfront cost estimates and shows SHAcoverage.
• Sends discreet SMS nudges (without using the word “cancer”) to encourage screening.

This way, women get personalized, stigma-free, and affordable care — and clinicians can focus on saving lives, not paperwork.

How We Built It

• Trained an AI risk prediction model on local data: age, HPV status, lifestyle.
• Built a clinician dashboard combining:
  • AI predictions
  • Recommended action based on MOH guidelines
  • Real-time inventory checks (stock > 0)
  • Cost estimates with NHIF coverage.
• Designed a patient-friendly experience:
  • Discreet SMS reminders ("Free routine check-up available")
  • Local language education materials.
  • Printable care plans.
• Used a mobile-first approach so it works even on basic smartphones and slow (< 3 Mbps) internet.

Challenges We Ran Into

• Making AI predictions transparent so clinicians trust them.
• Finding the right language: reminders that are culturally sensitive yet effective.
• Designing for resource-constrained clinics with 1 nurse per 100 patients daily.
• Turning medical jargon into clear instructions every woman can understand.

Accomplishments We're Proud Of

• AI model that explains why a woman is flagged high-risk.
• Clinician dashboard that reduces planning time and avoids stockouts.
• Discreet SMS design that preserves privacy and increases screening attendance.
• Building a system that could cut average treatment costs by > 50% and triple early detection rates.
• Designing a solution ready for real-world constraints in Kenyan clinics.

What We Learned

• Early detection isn’t just a medical problem it’s also about culture, dignity, and cost.
• Simplicity and privacy matter as much as technology.
• Prevention saves exponentially:
  

Early treatment cost ≈ KES 50,000 ≪ Late treatment cost ≈ KES 800,000

• Real impact means designing for women who may only have a basic phone and a few minutes to spare.

What's Next for Afya Kuu

• Partner with hospitals and SHA to integrate real-time data.
• Pilot the system in urban clinics and rural health centers.
• Expand AI models to cover breast cancer and maternal health risks.
• Add a patient portal for reminders, symptom tracking, and educational resources.
• Scale nationally so every woman, no matter where she lives, can access early, affordable, stigma-free care.

Because the difference between life and death shouldn’t depend on where you’re born, how much money you have, or how much shame you feel about your body.

Built With

• next.js
• python