Heidi Launches in South Africa as Clinician-Led Adoption Surges Past 15,000

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, April 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Heidi, the AI Care Partner for clinicians, today formally launched in South Africa after more than 15,000 clinicians across the country adopted the platform organically.

The launch follows a wave of clinician-led demand, as workforce shortages and mounting administrative burden push healthcare systems toward AI that works inside existing workflows, rather than alongside them.

That demand is now extending beyond individual clinicians into broader system adoption, with organisations including Intercare Group piloting the platform across its network and Fourways Veterinary Hospital deploying it within its clinical teams. Integrations with practice management systems including Practice Perfect and HealthFocus are enabling uptake without requiring changes to existing workflows - an early signal of how clinician-led usage is beginning to shape system-level adoption.

The shift comes as South Africa is projected to face a shortfall of nearly 97,000^[1] health workers by 2030, with administrative load^[2] a key contributor to burnout, particularly across public hospitals, emergency departments and rural clinics where time is most constrained.

Heidi sits directly inside clinical workflows, automating documentation and routine administrative tasks. The platform meets local healthcare governance and regulatory requirements, supports multiple languages, and works offline in low-connectivity environments.

"Adoption in South Africa has been almost entirely clinician-led," said Dr Tom Kelly, CEO and co-founder of Heidi. "Doctors are using it in real clinical settings, seeing the impact and recommending it to peers. That is what has driven us to more than 1.5 million consultations each month locally, with weekly active use growing 500% year-on-year.

"Our role now is to support that momentum with local infrastructure and partnerships. Globally, Heidi is already supporting more than 2.5 million consultations each week, and our mission is to double the world's healthcare capacity. Markets like South Africa, where the workforce gap is most acute, are where that mission matters most."

"To anchor the next phase of growth, Heidi has appointed Dr Calvin Howard to lead its South African operations, alongside Dr Michelle Yuan to drive customer success and deepen engagement with healthcare teams as adoption grows. Medical doctors by background, Dr Howard will oversee partnerships as adoption expands beyond individual users into healthcare organisations, while Dr Yuan will ensure teams embed Heidi seamlessly into their workflows.

"What stood out immediately was how naturally Heidi fits into South African clinical workflows. Its real impact is removing barriers to care. With support for local languages and offline capability, clinicians can capture every patient interaction, even in rural settings without connectivity. Heidi has taken the time to understand how care is actually delivered here and built accordingly. In a system under real pressure, that kind of practical innovation matters, and I'm proud to be part of improving both the clinician and patient experience."

Heidi's expansion into South Africa reflects a broader shift, as AI moves from experimental tooling to core infrastructure within healthcare systems under pressure.

About Heidi

Heidi is building an AI Care Partner, with a mission to double the world's healthcare capacity by supporting every stage of care delivery. In addition to its popular AI scribe, Heidi has introduced Evidence, giving clinicians access to trusted medical research to support clinical decisions at the point of care – and Comms, a calls function that enables healthcare teams to coordinate patient communications. Together, these capabilities support various aspects of the clinical workflow, enabling clinicians to focus on providing quality patient care.

Heidi supports more than 2.5 million consults each week in 110 languages from 190 countries. Founded in Melbourne, Australia, Heidi has raised $96.6M USD from global investors including Point72 Private Investments, Blackbird, Headline, Phoenix Court's growth fund - Latitude, Possible Ventures, and Archangel. Heidi adheres to international standards including the NHS, HIPAA, GDPR, and Australian Privacy Principles, and has obtained enterprise-grade security certifications such as POPIA, SOC2 and ISO27001.

Learn more at heidihealth.com.

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