Helium Health, a Nigerian health technology company, has secured funding from Google.org to deploy artificial intelligence models across primary maternal healthcare services in Nigeria. The company was selected as one of 15 global recipients of the $30 million Google.org Impact Challenge: AI for Government Innovation. This initiative supports organizations using artificial intelligence to improve public services in partnership with governments.
The funding will support the expansion of HeliumMum, Helium Health's maternal healthcare initiative, which uses AI to help identify pregnancy risks early, connect women to appropriate care, and equip healthcare providers with clinical decision-support tools. The initiative will initially focus on Lagos, Delta, Kano, and Oyo states, with Lagos serving as the primary operational launchpad.
The Nigerian implementation roadmap was presented during an executive briefing in Lagos attended by Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and executives from Google and Helium Health. The programme aims to support state governments in strengthening primary healthcare delivery through digital tools and better access to maternal health information.
Under the three-year programme, Helium Health plans to introduce AI-powered clinical decision-support tools in 150 healthcare facilities, onboard 300,000 women, and reach 1.9 million women with maternal health education. The company also aims to contribute to a 30% reduction in facility-based maternal mortality and cut the time governments take to identify and respond to emerging health trends by 35%.
HeliumMum connects pregnant women to healthcare providers equipped with electronic medical records and AI-powered clinical decision-support systems. The technology helps identify potential pregnancy complications earlier, facilitates referrals, and supports healthcare workers in making informed clinical decisions.
Helium Health Chief Executive Officer Dimeji Sofowora stated that the company had already reached more than 3.5 million women through its maternal health initiatives over the past decade. Google.org's funding will allow the company to expand those programmes and extend access to maternal healthcare services to more women.
Dr. Shona Oluwatola, Head of Public Health at Helium Health, noted that Nigeria accounts for nearly three in every ten maternal deaths globally. Maggie Johnson, Global Head of Google.org, said the initiative would combine financial support with technical expertise from Google engineers and AI product specialists to help participating organisations translate AI innovation into practical public services.
Key points
- Helium Health aims to reach 1.9 million women with maternal health education and contribute to a 30% reduction in facility-based maternal mortality over three years.
- The Google.org Impact Challenge: AI for Government Innovation is a $30 million global initiative supporting organisations applying artificial intelligence to public-sector challenges.
- Helium Health's maternal healthcare initiative, HeliumMum, uses AI to help identify pregnancy risks early and equip healthcare providers with clinical decision-support tools.
