Read the Conversation
Conversation highlights:
- Similarities in healthcare challenges between Europe and Africa, especially in primary healthcare gaps, despite different doctor-to-population ratios.
- Africa's openness to innovation and collaboration, along with a motivated and young population, are seen as key advantages over developed markets.
- Strategic initiatives across Africa in South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, and Kenya, focusing on cancer research, ultrasound manufacturing, primary healthcare centers, and molecular imaging.
- AI integration is crucial for improving healthcare services in Africa, with applications in remote diagnostics and embedded AI in equipment to enhance productivity.
- GE Healthcare's key role in sharing best practices across regions and collaborating with governments to accelerate healthcare transformation in Africa.
EF: What mission did you set for yourself in this role?
KD: I began my journey at GE HealthCare after my research work, and continued until taking on the role of General Manager for Eastern Europe. Over several years, I oversaw operations across all countries from the Baltic states and Ukraine through Poland and Central and Eastern Europe, including Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Romania, the Balkans, and Greece.
Since February 2024, GE HealthCare has brought together all emerging markets into a single region that includes Africa, the Middle East, Russia, and the CIS. This area represents nearly 2 billion people and a combined GDP of about 8 trillion dollars. It is not only the largest region within GE HealthCare but also a critical one, with diverse healthcare landscapes, ranging from centers of excellence and advanced capabilities to areas with tremendous unmet needs.
Working across these regions with such a talented and dedicated team is deeply rewarding. Many of our professionals are outstanding experts, but what truly defines success in this field is passion, the genuine desire to serve society. This work requires real compassion for people, beyond business results or market performance. Our teams remain committed to supporting communities in challenging environments, including Palestine and other conflict-affected areas, as well as across Africa.
EF: What is a word that will describe this year, and what should be the strategic focus for 2026?
KD: 2025 will be remembered as a transformative year. It brought developments not seen in decades: geopolitical conflicts, shifts in foreign policy, and trade tensions, all of which significantly impacted healthcare. Despite these global headwinds, the fundamental issues remain unchanged. Access to quality care continues to define the experience of patients and professionals alike, reminding us that progress in healthcare is an ongoing journey rather than a destination.
As surprising as it may sound, there are a lot of learnings from healthcare needs in Europe that can be translated into Africa.
Africa’s healthcare needs are substantial, and improving equality and access is a complex challenge, not purely a financial one. It requires consistent planning and strategic focus. Countries that succeed with a robust health infrastructure are the ones that have developed consistent policies and long-term planning across successive governments.
The continent faces challenges such as the migration of medical professionals to Europe and the United States, but it is also contributing talent and energy globally. Africa possesses abundant resources, a young and ambitious population, and an enduring determination to improve. The region is still in a formative phase, much like Europe was several centuries ago, but it is steadily evolving toward a more mature and promising stage. Countries such as Egypt, South Africa, and Nigeria are already demonstrating this transition.
EF: What role do you see GE Healthcare playing in accelerating national healthcare ambitions, working with each government?
KD: Our new structure presents a major opportunity to cross-share best practices and examples between countries. We have major hubs in very important markets such as South Africa and Nigeria. Nigeria has 250 million people, and it is a country where things can only improve. I was happy to see last week that they have started to stabilize financially. They can drive growth for the next four or five years at a minimum, which is very promising for the government and the people. Kenya is another country with a strong projection. Our job is to listen to patients and to bring the right technological and innovative expertise. We can transfer and adapt experience from place to place. One of the qualities I respect in Africans is their humility and willingness to collaborate and discuss. In Africa, everyone is looking for a better way. Mentality and receptiveness are much healthier in Africa.
EF: From all the initiatives you are pursuing in Africa, what is one initiative you are most proud of bringing in?
KD: It is not easy to choose one. Africa is a very diverse continent. The South and North are very different. We started a major partnership with NuMeRI in South Africa, a public institution, the Nuclear Medicine Research Institute, especially in oncology and theragnostics. We are there with our best PET CT technology, and more is on the way. South Africa will host the World Congress of Theragnostics in January 2026. We are very proud of this because NuMeRI is one of the few research centers globally working at that level. It spans from medical records to bioscience research.
We recently launched a new localized ultrasound manufacturing facility in Egypt, a milestone that marks a significant achievement for us. Our long-standing presence in Egypt continues to grow through sustained investments, and this new facility will deliver smart ultrasound solutions to hospitals across major cities as well as remote rural areas.
Across Africa, there is also a pressing need for social education in healthcare. At GE HealthCare, we are training more than 100 healthcare professionals this year, including approximately 300 specialists in imaging, radiology, and nuclear medicine. This initiative represents a long-term investment in the continent’s future. While challenges remain—such as retaining skilled professionals within Africa—we remain committed to supporting societies through training and partnership, not for profit but for impact.
In collaboration with the Kenyan government and Kenyatta University, we helped establish the first MRI molecular imaging cancer center at the Kenya Cancer Center, a landmark step in advancing cancer diagnosis and care. Moreover, across regions such as Tanzania, we have donated essential equipment, services, and training for breast screening initiatives. Collectively, these efforts lay the groundwork for a stronger and more sustainable healthcare ecosystem across Africa.
EF: What can Africa expect in terms of AI from GE HealthCare?
KD: AI can help, although it may not be the first and foremost need. The priority should be to keep healthcare professionals and doctors in Africa. AI can provide remote services, yet it will never replace a doctor. We can create hubs and satellite reading stations at major coastal centers to support hospitals in producing exams and reports.
Of course, the equipment and technology we have introduced in recent years in Africa includes AI elements. These make the systems much more productive and much faster. This is critical when you do not have a large fleet of devices, such as MRIs, and need to serve many patients with a single system. You must meet the needs of hundreds or thousands of patients, and you need speed. AI and technology allow this. Even without anything specifically focused on AI, the fact that the systems already have embedded AI is a benefit for the countries on the continent. These are the first two things that come to mind.
In the last few years, we have launched a major global initiative called HelloAI. This is a remote AI school that anyone can register for. It can build awareness about AI, from very basic topics to highly sophisticated medical AI, and what it can offer to healthcare professionals. It is all accessible online, and it is another service we provide on the education front.
We discussed Europe before. In major European countries, there are associations of mature, reputable hospitals. These associations work to educate their members, the hospital administration, and doctors about what AI is and how it can contribute to their work. There are many similarities across continents, even if we tend to keep them separate in our minds. AI is a question mark for many people, but it can offer significant benefits to Africa’s development.
EF: As an executive who has covered many different regions, how do you think the future of companies will look?
KD: I want to see more of Africa talking openly about companies working on the continent, even the competitors. It is not one company’s role, and nobody here is the protagonist. We all need to move together.
AI is also transforming companies. It changes productivity and gives us new ways to see what is happening in operations and how to respond. Roles will shift. Fewer people will handle repetitive tasks, while more will take on new, innovative roles. We will see the same shifts in governments and in the skills and talents they look for.
I have been with GE HealthCare for 23 years, and our portfolio today looks nothing like it did five years ago, let alone when I first joined. Back then, if you had seen the portfolio, you would have questioned how people were even taking scans. With new technology, there is less dependence on hospitals. A hospital bed is something we want to reserve for very difficult or advanced cases. Primary health care is where all medical companies are placing increasing focus.
Digitization of healthcare, including home monitoring, home medical assessments, and reporting, is another area connected to AI.
We have the Vscan, a portable pocket-sized ultrasound device, that lets clinicians image patients at the point of care, especially in remote areas. We are also training midwives to use it. This has been especially impactful in Kenya and other underserved regions of Sub-Saharan Africa. AI will help us push home health care even earlier, even before symptoms appear, which matters a lot. We’re going to see more wearables and other tools built into everyday environments to support monitoring. Some of these already exist, but the accuracy is not always at the level we need. That will change as more devices reach medical-grade precision.
Over the years, I have seen countless instances in which a doctor’s judgment completely changed the course of an exam or treatment, even when the initial clinical guidance pointed elsewhere. I’ve seen cardiologists receive patients because they were referred for cardiac issues. Yet, the doctor could tell immediately, just from how the person walked or spoke, that the problem was something else entirely. AI cannot do that. Human intuition still matters.
Another fast-growing area in radiology and imaging is biology. Doctors will need a strong grounding in biology because the future will involve working with and developing more biological agents within the body, not just radioactive tracers. With the right processing, these agents can detect pathology, highlight focal areas, and provide insight into anatomy, damage, and function. This is not a plug-and-play field. It requires deep development and understanding. Radiologists and nuclear medicine specialists will need to move quickly because, as technology accelerates, their biological knowledge must keep pace to deliver effective care.
