Tech Roundup: How AI helps Brazil’s health system

This week’s topics: AI can help reduce the burden on Brazil’s health system during the Covid crisis. The Jair Bolsonaro administration stands against funding internet connections for public school students. June was the best month in history for Brazilian startups. 

AI alleviates the burden on Brazil’s health system

Brazil’s tally of confirmed coronavirus deaths has hit 530,000, with the pandemic taking a massive toll on the country’s healthcare system. To help avoid new collapses in the system, healthtech company Laura launched Laura Care, a chatbot which uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to help answer patients’ questions and monitor Covid-19 cases.

Why it matters. With a vast territory and lack of sanitary guidance from the federal government, Brazil has much to gain from adopting new technologies that can help prevent hospitals from being overburdened.

Health + Technology. The Laura Care ER platform uses AI and a machine learning algorithm on two main fronts. The first is to answer simple queries and questions that patients may have about the virus, isolation measures and social distancing. 

• However, if patients respond that they have Covid-19 symptoms, they will be redirected to a triage page, in which symptoms are verified and patients are classified as mild, moderate, or severe cases.
• “Mild cases are handled by the virtual assistant, with no need for human interaction,” explained Laura’s medical director, Hugo Morales.
• For moderate or severe cases, the system schedules telemedicine appointments.
• “The goal is to increase access to healthcare in a quick and practical way, while at the same...