E-Health

Overview:

Rwanda has made remarkable strides in healthcare infrastructure and service delivery. However, as patient loads increase and health systems modernize, a new challenge is emerging: ensuring that individuals have seamless, digital access to their own healthcare journeys.

The traditional model of fragmented records, manual bookings, and in-person consultations is no longer sufficient in a world where connectivity, personalization, and real-time services define effective care.

Recognizing this need, Épique AI developed a prototype e-health platform—a patient-first mobile and web application designed to streamline how individuals interact with health facilities.

The platform allows users to book appointments, chat or consult via video with doctors, download lab results or prescriptions, and receive medication reminders—all from a single interface.

The goal of the initiative was not just to build an app, but to reimagine the relationship between patients and health systems. By digitizing key interactions and personalizing the care experience, Rwanda can move closer to a proactive, responsive, and integrated healthcare model.

Problem Statement:

Despite advances in health policy and service delivery, administrative friction remains a major barrier to quality care.

Patients face long queues at hospitals, lack real-time visibility into doctor availability, and often miss out on follow-up care due to disjointed communication between health professionals and individuals.

Health records are rarely centralized. In most cases, patients must return physically to the same hospital to access results, repeat prescriptions, or continue treatment.

This is particularly burdensome for patients in rural or low-income communities, where travel costs and time constraints are significant.

Moreover, the burden on healthcare providers is equally high. Without digital tools to triage, schedule, or communicate with patients efficiently, front-line staff are overwhelmed with administrative tasks—leaving less time for actual care delivery.

The absence of a patient-centered digital interface means the healthcare system remains reactive, rather than preventive. Patients are treated only when symptoms escalate, and providers lack longitudinal data that could help them make more informed decisions.

Our Approach:

To address these gaps, Épique AI designed and deployed a working prototype of a comprehensive e-health app that empowers both patients and providers. Our approach was guided by three core principles: accessibility, personalization, and integration.

1. Appointment Scheduling & Triage

The app enables patients to view the availability of nearby doctors, book in-person or virtual consultations, and receive reminders leading up to their appointments. The system includes smart triage features that ask patients about symptoms in advance and automatically route them to the appropriate department, cutting down on misbookings and wasted time.

2. Access to Health Records

Patients can securely download lab results, prescriptions, referral letters, and other clinical documents through the platform. These records are stored in a cloud-linked personal health vault, accessible only by the patient and authorized providers. This reduces unnecessary repeat tests, improves continuity of care, and empowers individuals to better understand and track their own health.

3. Doctor Communication Tools

Through chat and video consultation features, doctors can connect with patients remotely—particularly useful for rural populations, minor follow-ups, and health education. In contexts where physical visits are not necessary, this reduces pressure on clinics while increasing patient satisfaction.

4. Medication and Care Reminders

The app includes a lightweight notification system that reminds patients to take medications, attend follow-up visits, or update health records. This preventive layer enhances adherence to treatment plans and reduces complications arising from missed care.

5. Multilingual and Mobile-First Design

The interface was designed with accessibility in mind. It supports Kinyarwanda, English, and French, and was optimized for low-bandwidth conditions and basic smartphones. By working offline where needed and syncing data when connectivity resumes, the app ensures inclusivity even in digitally underserved regions.

Key Outcomes:

The initial deployment of the prototype—piloted in collaboration with health workers and patients at two facilities in Kigali—produced strong signals of transformative potential:

• Patients reported a 70% reduction in waiting time for appointments and results, thanks to digital scheduling and direct record access.

• Doctors spent 30% less time on non-clinical tasks, including appointment coordination and manual reporting, allowing for more focused patient care.

• Follow-up adherence increased by over 50%, driven by automated notifications and better continuity of communication.

• Patients expressed higher satisfaction and a sense of empowerment, with many highlighting the dignity and convenience of accessing their own records without relying on intermediaries.

Strategic Significance:

This project signals a shift in Rwanda’s digital health strategy—from digitizing hospitals to digitizing the patient experience itself.

By bridging the gap between medical facilities and everyday citizens, this platform supports national goals around universal health coverage, data-driven health policy, and healthcare equity.

For Épique AI, this case study highlights our strength in human-centered technology for high-impact sectors. We didn’t just build a tool—we co-designed a health engagement model with patients, providers, and policymakers in mind.

As the government scales up investments in e-health infrastructure and smart hospitals, the app provides a modular, secure, and locally tailored interface that can plug into existing systems like HMIS (Health Management Information Systems), community health worker networks, and insurance verification services.

Conclusion:

Africa’s digital transformation cannot afford to leave healthcare behind. In a time when smartphones are becoming ubiquitous and digital services define the user experience, the healthcare sector must offer the same level of responsiveness and access.

This e-health platform is not just an application—it is a blueprint for citizen-centric, digital-first healthcare. It combines software engineering, UX design, and public health thinking into a unified experience that redefines how people seek, receive, and manage care.