Heidi's AI platform aims to ease South Africa's healthcare burden
AI care partner Heidi has launched in South Africa following its adoption by 15,000 clinicians in the country.
Image credit: Freepik
The launch comes after a wave of clinician-led demand, as workforce shortages and mounting administrative burden push healthcare systems toward AI that works inside existing workflows.
Clinician-led usage
That demand is now extending beyond individual clinicians into broader system adoption, with organisations, including Intercare Group, piloting the platform across their network and Fourways Veterinary Hospital deploying it within its clinical teams.
Integrations with practice management systems, including Practice Perfect and HealthFocus, are enabling uptake without requiring changes to existing workflows — an early signal of how clinician-led usage is beginning to shape system-level adoption.
The shift comes as South Africa is projected to face a shortfall of nearly 97,000 health workers by 2030, with administrative load a key contributor to burnout, particularly across public hospitals, emergency departments, and rural clinics where time is most constrained.
Heidi sits directly inside clinical workflows, automating documentation and routine administrative tasks.
The platform meets local healthcare governance and regulatory requirements, supports multiple languages, and works offline in low-connectivity environments.
“Adoption in South Africa has been almost entirely clinician-led,” says Dr Tom Kelly, CEO and co-founder of Heidi.
“Doctors are using it in real clinical settings, seeing the impact and recommending it to peers.
“That is what has driven us to more than 1.5 million consultations each month locally, with weekly active use growing 500% year-on-year.
“Our role now is to support that momentum with local infrastructure and partnerships.
“Globally, Heidi is already supporting more than 2.5 million consultations each week, and our mission is to double the world’s healthcare capacity.
“Markets like South Africa, where the workforce gap is most acute, are where that mission matters most.”
SA operations
To anchor the next phase of growth, Heidi has appointed Dr Calvin Howard to lead its South African operations, alongside Dr Michelle Yuan to drive customer success and deepen engagement with healthcare teams as adoption grows.
Dr Howard will oversee partnerships as adoption expands beyond individual users into healthcare organisations, while Dr Yuan will ensure teams embed Heidi seamlessly into their workflows.
“What stood out immediately was how naturally Heidi fits into South African clinical workflows. Its real impact is removing barriers to care,” says Howard.
“With support for local languages and offline capability, clinicians can capture every patient interaction, even in rural settings without connectivity.
“Heidi has taken the time to understand how care is actually delivered here and built accordingly.
“In a system under real pressure, that kind of practical innovation matters, and I’m proud to be part of improving both the clinician and patient experience.”