In Kenya, an innovative text-messaging platform powered by artificial intelligence is reshaping how expectant and new mothers access crucial health advice. Known as PROMPTS, the digital tool is designed to provide immediate answers to pregnancy-related questions, helping bridge the information divide for thousands of women who lack access to modern web search engines.
The initiative, developed through Jacaranda Health, did not originate as a sophisticated diagnostic AI. Instead, it emerged unexpectedly when a clinical network in Kenya launched a basic automated SMS reminder service intended strictly to alert pregnant patients about their upcoming clinical appointments.
Rather than simply reading the notifications, expectant mothers began replying directly to the automated texts with urgent questions about their pregnancies and overall well-being. Their inquiries spanned a wide variety of topics, ranging from basic nutritional queries—such as whether eating avocados while pregnant is safe—to physical concerns about potentially concerning symptoms like swollen limbs and severe headaches.
In the early stages of the program, the volume of incoming questions was modest. When Jay Patel, who serves as the director of technology for Jacaranda Health, first joined the organization, the network was handling fewer than 100 inquiries per day from participating mothers.
Over the years, however, the text messaging system experienced explosive growth. Today, the platform fields approximately 15,000 text messages each day, reflecting both widespread demand among expectant mothers and the rapid expansion of Jacaranda Health's clinical outreach.
Managing such a massive influx of messages required significant operational adjustments. Initially, Jacaranda Health responded by employing professional nurses to manually review and reply to every message one by one. However, as the daily volume quickly escalated, manual processing became increasingly unsustainable.
Beginning in 2020, developers set out to build an advanced artificial intelligence infrastructure capable of interpreting user queries in natural language. This system, officially named PROMPTS, was engineered to comprehend the core meaning of incoming questions, prioritize their clinical significance, and flag patients who may need urgent medical care.
Today, the PROMPTS system serves patients receiving prenatal and postnatal care across public clinics situated in 24 different Kenyan counties. Its integration into the public healthcare infrastructure allows it to reach a diverse population of mothers across urban and rural communities.
One of the platform’s greatest strengths is its low technical barrier to entry. For women living in underserved areas without reliable internet connections, high-end smartphones, or cellular data packages, sending an SMS to the PROMPTS service often represents the quickest and most dependable method for receiving authoritative health guidance.
Patel emphasized that the service offers a vital communication lifeline for rural women experiencing sudden complications during late hours. In situations where an expectant mother experiences concerning symptoms, such as sudden bleeding at 2 a.m., she typically cannot look up answers on the internet; however, PROMPTS remains completely free of charge and fully operable on basic mobile phones.
Beyond answering general wellness questions, the artificial intelligence system serves a critical triage function. The program continuously scans incoming texts and identifies approximately 7% of all incoming messages as potentially urgent health emergencies requiring immediate human attention.
When the AI identifies an emergency, it instantly bypasses standard automated response mechanisms and routes the conversation directly to a specialized help desk queue monitored by medical personnel. According to Patel, nurses can view the patient's comprehensive message history and immediately telephone the mother to deliver urgent advice.
Rapid medical response is an urgent priority in Kenya, where maternal mortality remains a profound public health challenge. National figures indicate that approximately 6,000 women lose their lives every year due to complications associated with pregnancy and childbirth.
This annual toll translates to a staggering average of 16 maternal deaths every single day. Public health data indicates that nearly one-third of these fatalities are directly connected to delays in recognizing danger signs and seeking timely clinical treatment at medical facilities.
By providing rapid clinical triage and confirming when an arduous journey to a hospital is necessary, the PROMPTS service aims to eliminate critical delays before complications become life-threatening. The service provides mothers with the certainty they need to seek emergency care without hesitation.
As maternal health advocates and policy experts, including Lisa Mushega of HENNET, monitor strategies to improve maternal survival, the continuous evolution of tools like PROMPTS highlights the growing impact of targeted technological solutions in supporting Kenya's public health system.
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