AMBULANCE SOFTWARE DEVELOPED IN RWANDA TO ENABLE FASTER CARE

Ambulance technology developed in Rwanda by University of Birmingham experts working with a local software company could save nearly one million lives. Launched on 4 August 2025, the 912Rwanda software helps ambulance crews and hospitals coordinate care faster for emergency patients by automatically recommending the nearest available facility. The project is backed by more than £3m funding, including from the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). By Jordan Sollof

Ambulance crews use the new software with a patient in Kigali, Rwanda (Credit : University of Birmingham).

Ambulance technology developed in Rwanda by University of Birmingham experts working with a local software company could save nearly one million lives.

Rwanda Build Program (RWBuild) worked with local and international partners to develop the 912Rwanda software.

Launched on 4 August 2025, the software helps ambulance crews and hospitals coordinate care faster for emergency patients by automatically recommending the nearest available facility which can provide the care that the patient needs.

The software could reduce serious disabilities for an estimated 250 million people who suffer injuries each year in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

It is also expected to reduce deaths and disability from emergency medical conditions, including post-partum haemorrhage, sepsis, malaria, heart attacks and strokes, which cause around 50% of deaths in LMICs.

Jean Claude Byiringiro, associate professor of surgery and former dean of the School of Medicine and Pharmacy at University of Rwanda, said : “We believe that the programme can make a significant impact in Rwanda, reducing the time it takes to get injured patients to hospital.

“Importantly, the project could play a key role in developing similar solutions in countries facing the same sort of problems.”

The initial phase of the software, which prioritises ambulance deployment based on basic data collected by dispatchers, is already operational in Kigali, Rwanda.

It has been used for over 20,000 journeys, allowing ambulance teams to locate patients quickly in areas where smartphone penetration and triangulation off cell phone masts is not possible.

The second phase software introduces novel triage software which incorporates a Destination Decision Support Algorithm (DDSA).

This DDSA enables ambulance crews to capture simple patient information and uses that information to recommend the nearest suitable healthcare facility to treat that patient.

Justine Davies, professor of global health research at the University of Birmingham, and co-principal investigator of the NIHR funded project, commented : “Each one of these phases – finding the patient and then finding the right facility for that patient – is likely to dramatically reduce the time it takes for emergency patients to get to the treatment that they need at a hospital.

“In emergency care, minutes saved equals lives saved, but it is not just about getting patients to any care quickly, patients need to get to the care which is right for them.

“The readiness of our programme also comes at a time when policy makers in Rwanda recognise that the numbers of people dying after injuries is more than what it should be and that ambulance services need to be more efficient.”

The project is backed by more than £3m funding from the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), Research and Innovation for Global Health Transformation (RIGHT) programme and nearly $1 million from the United States National Institute of Health.

Last year it was reported that the University of Birmingham was to develop a non-invasive saliva test to identify children who are missing immunity to tetanus and may also have missed out on essential vaccines. Once the test has undergone laboratory testing, it will be evaluated in Rwanda.