Cape Town, South Africa – 23 April 2026 – 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 health workers by 2030, with administrative load 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.
