AI meets the rainforest: Testing the use of an AI chatbot to fight malaria in Guyana
Amp Health’s collaboration with the Guyana Ministry of Health is helping frontline health workers deliver better care in the rainforest using the power of AI. In partnership with the National Malaria Programme (NMP), Amp Health has developed an AI-powered WhatsApp chatbot that provides instant, up-to-date malaria treatment guidance. The tool makes it easier for community health workers to follow Guyana’s national treatment guidelines, speeding up diagnosis and care in hard-to-reach areas – and ultimately saving lives.
When we think of gold mining today, images of industrial operations and vast networks of tunnels often come to mind. Rarely do we picture artisanal miners panning for gold in a riverbed. And yet, in Guyana, that’s precisely how much of the gold is mined – along with open-pit extraction in the country's rich, rainforest-covered interior.
The country’s vast natural wealth resulted in Guyana’s 2023 reclassification from an upper-middle-income country to a high-income country. But the same landscapes that promise gold also bring public health challenges. The rainforest is a hotspot for malaria-transmitting mosquitoes. Mining communities – many of them informal, hard to reach, and moving from place to place – are on the frontlines of exposure.
The challenge: Reaching a mobile, dispersed population
Treating malaria among small-scale miners is difficult. These miners often work in remote areas and move frequently, making it hard for Guyana’s NMP to reach them and provide consistent healthcare services. Even when community health efforts succeed in reaching these populations, another barrier emerges: how to ensure that field workers have the latest treatment guidelines at their fingertips.
To date, the NMP has distributed printed malaria treatment guidelines to Voluntary Malaria Testers (VMTs), community members trained to diagnose and treat uncomplicated malaria cases. However, replenishing these printed materials is a major logistical challenge in the Amazon. Updated guidelines can take weeks or months to reach the field, if they arrive at all. Printed copies are also vulnerable to damage or loss, especially given the frequent mobility of mining camps.
The solution: A chatbot powered by AI and WhatsApp
Amp Health began partnering with Guyana’s NMP in early 2024, to co-develop a cost-effective, scalable digital solution. The result was an AI-powered chatbot, based on the NMP’s treatment guidelines, designed to deliver information instantly via WhatsApp. VMTs and Community Health Workers (CHWs) can now send questions to the chatbot and receive step-by-step guidance on malaria care.
Need to know the correct treatment for a malaria-positive adult? The chatbot responds instantly. Wondering how to manage follow-up care or when to refer a patient? The bot walks users through each decision, step-by-step, like a virtual assistant that’s always available, never runs out of paper, and doesn’t require costly distribution.
Why it works
Suitable in low bandwidth environments: WhatsApp is a lightweight platform that is easily accessible on most devices, even in areas where the capacity for data transmission is limited.
Real-time access to accurate information: The chatbot draws directly from Guyana’s national malaria guidelines, ensuring standardised care across even the most remote regions. These guidelines can be updated instantly without having to rely on lengthy print- and distribution-cycles.
Low cost, high return: For less than US $5,000 a year, it creates significant savings by eliminating printing and distribution costs.
Scalable and adaptable: The same treatment protocols are used across the Guiana Shield region, meaning the chatbot could be rolled out in Suriname, Venezuela, and Brazil.
Expandable: The chatbot could be expanded to include other pre-approved treatment guidelines for diseases such as HIV and Dengue fever. It can also be expanded to allow for audio queries, depending on local language translation availability.
Easy updates: New guidelines can be uploaded instantly, ensuring that everyone in the field has the latest information without delay.
How it’s being rolled out
Guyana is already improving internet access in remote areas through Starlink. With this infrastructure in place, and approvals for deployment acquired, the chatbot will become even more accessible. The hope is that soon VMTs and CHWs will be able to rely on their phones for up-to-the-minute guidance on malaria diagnosis and treatment, thereby enhancing quality healthcare delivery.
What’s next
In a recent pilot, regional malaria advisors, Pan American Health Organization representatives, and other partners tested the chatbot using a set of treatment scenarios. The chatbot's responses were validated against Guyana’s national guidelines and met with enthusiasm.
The chatbot system, including training and retraining, has so far been maintained by Amp Health. The next step is ensuring that Guyana’s Ministry of Health is equipped to setup, deploy and maintain the chatbot on their infrastructure as well as fund its continued use from the national health budget.
Amp Health is uniquely positioned to support this kind of initiative thanks to our close working relationships with Ministries of Health and deep understanding of their contexts and needs. Rather than simply offering a technical solution, we collaborate with Ministries to identify challenges, co-develop an appropriate response, and design a practical plan for adoption and rollout. To find out more about our work, click here.