Online Reporter
Sifelani Tsiko
Fact Check Editor
A 18–YEAR-OLD Zimbabwe-based Chinese student, Nathanael Guo, turned a classroom curiosity into an SMS-based referral tracking system to help advance low-cost testing for Alzheimer’s disease, a brain-wasting disease which Zimbabwe and most other African countries are now grappling with.
Nathanael, who is a permanent resident of Zimbabwe, said he developed the application after realising that Alzheimer’s disease disproportionately goes undiagnosed in low-income and underserved communities in Zimbabwe and most other African countries.
In Zimbabwe and most other African countries, access to specialist neuroimaging and neuropsychological assessment remains prohibitively costly.
“This project aims to develop an interpretable, low-cost machine learning framework for early Alzheimer’s detection using non-invasive EEG recordings and speech samples (modalities that require only affordable, widely available hardware) to help diagnostic access and reduce the health equity gap in dementia care,” he said.
His low -cost application has the potential to strengthen rural healthcare through simple, affordable and scalable digital innovation.
At present, gold-standard Alzheimer’s diagnosis relies on PET imaging, CSF biomarker assays, and specialist neuropsychological evaluation, something that Nathaneal says collectively cost thousands of dollars, as this remains inaccessible to the majority of the global population.
“The framework presented here demonstrates that clinically meaningful diagnostic accuracy is achievable using EEG and speech alone — modalities that can be captured with consumer-grade equipment at a fraction of that cost,” he said.
“By making reliable screening possible outside of specialist clinical centres, this system has the potential to reach patients in rural areas, developing nations, and low-income communities who currently receive diagnoses only after significant, irreversible cognitive decline.”
Nathanael is a student at Sydney Grammar School in Australia with a strong interest in artificial intelligence, digital innovation and public health.
His work focuses on applying practical technologies to address real-world social challenges and improve public wellbeing.
He has explored innovative approaches to healthcare technology and developed a strong commitment to creating accessible and affordable solutions for underserved communities.
In May this year, he applied to the Ministry of Health and Child Care to conduct a development and pilot implementation of a low-cost SMS-based referral tracking and closure system designed to strengthen patient referral management within Zimbabwe’s primary healthcare system.
His proposal will enable community health workers and healthcare facilities to monitor referral completion using ordinary mobile phones without requiring smartphones or internet connectivity, making it particularly suitable for rural and resource-constrained settings.
“Our project team respectfully seeks the approval of the Ministry of Health and Child Care to conduct a pilot implementation within a public healthcare setting designated by the ministry and under its guidance and supervision,” Nathanael said.
“Strengthening primary healthcare and ensuring continuity of patient care remain fundamental priorities for improving public health outcomes and achieving universal health coverage.”
Zimbabwe has made significant progress in developing its healthcare system but still needs to further strengthen referral management, particularly in rural and resource-constrained communities where continuity of care can be difficult to monitor.
Nathanael said the use of practical, affordable digital technologies presents an opportunity to enhance accountability, improve healthcare management and strengthen service delivery without imposing high additional costs on existing healthcare structures.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are more than 55 million people worldwide living with dementia, a neurological disorder that robs them of their memory and costs the world US$1,3 trillion a year.
Health experts say dementia affects memory, orientation, learning capacity, language, judgement, and the ability to perform common everyday tasks.
With populations ageing, the number of sufferers is projected to rise to 78 million by 2030 and 139 million by 2050, according to the WHO.
