The Problem
Across Kenya and much of Sub-Saharan Africa, critical medical equipment is often present but not reliably usable. In Kenya alone, government reports show that millions of dollars’ worth of medical equipment sits idle in public hospitals, forcing patients to travel long distances or forgo care. This challenge reflects a broader regional pattern where a large share of medical devices are underused or nonfunctional, despite significant need and investment.
Strengthening healthcare systems, one decision at a time.
GID Workshop is building a mobile, offline-capable guidance system that functions as expert backup embedded directly into clinical and technical workflows. Our system provides step-by-step guidance for routine use, troubleshooting, and basic maintenance of essential medical equipment, with clear escalation pathways when issues exceed local capacity. We do not replace training, personnel, or professional judgment - we reinforce them by making practical expertise available at the moment it is needed most.
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Our initial focus is on oxygen concentrators, a foundational technology across maternal, neonatal, pediatric, surgical, and emergency care. Although widely deployed, oxygen equipment is frequently compromised by preventable issues related to maintenance, power stability, accessories, and alarm interpretation. We are currently piloting our approach with partner organizations to validate impact, usability, and scalability.
Our Background
The company was founded based on several years of hands-on work in global health and biomedical engineering education, including workshops conducted in partnership with organizations such as Engineering World Health and Mastercard Foundation, as well as universities such as University of Nairobi and University of California, Berkeley .
Through this work, we engaged directly with students, technicians, and healthcare facilities in low-resource settings and observed recurring patterns of equipment failure, training decay, and decision uncertainty that are not addressed by existing solutions. This experience informs our focus on building scalable healthcare infrastructure.