BUSINESS NEWS LESSONS

Digital doctors are going global

1 Warmer

a. Companies have been using technology to improve customer services and this includes using
digital tools to communicate with customers in place of a human representative.

•  Have you ever used an automated service like this?

• Was it a good experience?

Why / Why not?

• What industries and types of companies mostly use this technology?

Do you think it could be used in the medical industry?

2 Key words

a. Read the definitions and use the section numbers to help you find the words in the article.
Then complete the sentences with the words.

1. abilities to do things (subtitle) He demonstrated his at the interview

excellently, so we would like to offer Mr Gladdings the position immediately.

2. the use of computer technology to make computers and other machines think and do things in the

way that people can (1) We have been taught to worry about taking

our jobs, but, in truth, it will take many years for technology to be able to do all the things that

people can.

3. things that limit your freedom to do what you want (2) Make sure you consider any possible time 

and add extra time into your schedule when planning your project.

4. the services that look after people’s health (2) The country has a limited

system that badly needs investment if doctors are going to reach

people living in the countryside.

5. the act of taking steps to stop something from happening (5) It is much cheaper to invest in
Intermediate

from the beginning than trying to fix mistakes later.

6. a computer program designed to simulate conversation with human users, especially over the

internet (7) Customers had complained about the new feature on the

website – it appeared to struggle to answer even the simplest questions.

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7. far away from other cities, towns, or people (12) He decided to rent a small cabin in a

location, where he could concentrate on finishing his book in peace.

8. to change something slightly in order to make it better, more accurate, or more effective (14)

Lemar was welcomed by the team and found it was surprisingly easy to

to his new role in another department.

9. the ability to do something in an accurate way (15) The data isn’t complete and lacks

, so we will need to run a new report.

10. used about a person or group that competes against someone or something else (17) They had

been doing well till a restaurant moved in opposite and began stealing

all their customers.

11. someone who is weak or easy to hurt physically or mentally (19) Victims are often

and scared, so it is important that police officers put them in contact

with local mental health support.

Intermediate

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 BUSINESS NEWS LESSONS
Rwanda venture tests digital health potential
in developing world
BABYLON’S HIGH TAKE-UP MASKS CONCERNS FOR EQUALITY OF ACCESS AND HYPING OF AI CAPABILITIES
BY ANDREW JACK
1 When Babylon, a UK-based digital health group,
began operations in Rwanda in 2016, there was
already strong interest in the use of artificial
intelligence to improve the country’s medical system.
2 Babylon’s telemedicine service has since registered
2m users across the African nation and handles
3,500 daily consultations. But its progress highlights
the constraints and debates around new technology
even as multiple providers expand the use of digital
healthcare around the world.
3 While digital tools can potentially support more people
affordably and efficiently in stretched healthcare
systems, critics have raised concerns about unequal
access and say that claims about digital tools such as
AI can be overhyped and unproven.
4 Millions of patients in industrialised nations
already use online medical services and apps,
and companies are looking further afield for growth.
Babylon is scaling up its operations in Africa,
Asia and Latin America, while rival Ada Health,
headquartered in Germany, is expanding in Tanzania.
5 “These countries have an opportunity to leapfrog and
not make the same mistakes of our [health] systems
created over a couple of centuries,” says Ali Parsa,
Babylon’s founder, referring to the ability to target
prevention rather than costly treatments. “They can
focus on keeping their people healthy, rather than
investing in sickness.”
6 From his UK base, where Babylon has contracted
with the NHS, Mr Parsa agreed to launch in Rwanda
— rebranding under the name of “Babyl” — after
Intermediate
meeting with Paul Kagame, the country’s president.
That led to a 10-year contract with the government
and the local health insurance system. “It had a
small population [12.5m] and an executive that
works,” he says. “We were picking up something
we could handle.”
7 At the start of 2018, Babyl announced “the first ever
fully digital healthcare service in east Africa using
artificial intelligence”. The service would include a
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chatbot “to take the power of a doctor’s brain and put
it on a mobile phone for medical advice and triage”.
8 In reality, the system remains a more rudimentary
form of telemedicine, with plans to test AI over the
coming months.
9 The effectiveness of Babylon’s system in the UK
has received mixed reviews. A recent study by
researchers at Pennsylvania State University
concluded that online symptom checkers “lack the
functions to support the whole diagnostic process of
an offline medical visit”, with often limited scope and
focus on particular diseases.
10 Academics at the University of Sheffield in the
UK wrote in a review of digital symptom checkers
globally that they are used primarily by younger,
more educated people and there is little evidence
of how far medical advice is taken up.
11 Shivon Byamukama, Babyl’s chief executive, says
few people in Rwanda own smartphones (the service
is also designed for basic mobile phones, using text
messages and voice calls). Instead of using bots
to diagnose symptoms, most people text a request
for telephone appointments. Nurses call back
and transfer them to doctors for consultations.
When necessary, patients receive a code for
follow-up prescriptions or laboratory tests.
12 “We take out people from the system that digital
health can handle,” says Ms Byamukama.
The benefits include swifter and easier access
to doctors, even in remote areas, reduced time
waiting in clinics and greater privacy.
13 An evaluation of Babyl in 2018 by Dalberg, a
consultancy, concluded it had scope to cut costs,
including through the development of more
efficient electronic health records. For now, says
Ms Byamukama, the company faces extra costs as
it seeks to gain economies of scale from its global
systems, including a requirement to store all its data
on a local cloud server hosted in Rwanda.
Continued on next page
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 BUSINESS NEWS LESSONS
14 Dalberg warned of a “slightly increased risk of fraud
through false impersonation” by callers using Babyl,
compared with face-to-face consultations. It also
highlighted the need to adjust symptom-checking
algorithms to “local health and disease patterns and
to language and communication practices”.
15 Hila Azadzoy, global health initiatives lead for Babyl’s
competitor Ada, says use of local health information
and languages is critical for algorithm accuracy.
“Local epidemiology is core. You need region-specific
incidence and prevalence for an optimised disease
model,” she says.
16 Babylon’s Mr Parsa, who says Babyl did not initially
compile such Rwanda-specific data for its system,
cautions: “People are hyping AI often because they
want to get finance. The reality is we are in day one.
It’s really in early infancy. AI will utterly outperform
our wildest imaginations in years to come and utterly
disappoint us in the short term.”
TK
©The Financial Times
All rights are reserved.
Articles are republished from the Financial Times
Intermediate
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17 Much of the analysis in the field is funded by
the companies themselves and not published in
peer-reviewed journals. It is limited in scope, with
tight restrictions on the medical conditions examined,
and often provides no comparison with rival products
or the final outcomes for patients.
18 Hamish Fraser, a researcher at Brown University’s
Center for Biomedical Informatics in the US, recently
co-authored an assessment, backed by Ada, of
different symptom checkers. He says there is a need
for more systematic independent evaluations and
clearer requirements by medical regulators for data.
19 “It’s a bit crazy no one has funded a large-scale
study,” he says. “I find this hard to square with the
number of patients using digital tools. If you have
too high sensitivity, you could overwhelm the health
service. A good system could make a big difference,
but a poor system leaves people very vulnerable,
without a safety net and not getting access until
it’s too late.”
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3 Understanding the article

a. Are these statements true of false according to the article? Correct the false statements.

1. Babylon is a digital health group based in Rwanda that has been using technology to improve
medical services in the country

2. Digital tools can be more affordable and efficient, and critics are not concerned about them.

3. Millions of patients across Africa are using online medical services, and now two digital health
groups are expanding in other countries.

4. Babylon is known as Babyl in Rwanda, and they have a long-term contract with the government
and local health insurance systems.

5. In 2018, Babyl claimed it had become the first fully digital health provider in east Africa, but in
reality the system is still very basic.

6. Babylon’s performance in the UK has received both good and bad reviews, and a recent study
found that a function that allows patients to check their symptoms lacks focus on diseases.

7. A study by Pennsylvania State University found that software that allows patients to check their
symptoms is usually used by old people who are not educated.

8. Most people in Rwanda own advanced mobile phones and so they often use Babyl’s
basic functions.

9. Dalberg found that Babyl could cut its costs by developing more efficient electronic
health records.

10. Independent evaluations and clear requirements should be provided by medical regulators
to ensure that companies offer a good service.

4 Business Language – Compound nouns

a. Complete the sentences with the words in the box.

telemedicine   health insurance   healthcare   chatbot    smartphone

Intermediate

1. People don’t remember a lot of basic information or numbers these days because everyone

has a  in their pocket and can check it at any time.

2. The system in the UK is called the NHS and considered one of the best

in the world.
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3. I got really annoyed with their online customer service because it just sends you to a

, and it’s impossible to talk to a real human representative.

4. If you don’t have and get injured while on your business trip in the US,

you will pay a lot in medical bills.

5. During the Covid19 pandemic, became very popular in Poland because

in-person consultations could contribute to the spread of the virus.

b. Write sentences about your own life or work using the words from the word box.

c. Can you think of any other compound nouns that start with the same words as those in the
exercise, e.g. health-? What are some examples? How are they spelled?

5 Business Language – prepositional phrases and phrasal verbs

a. Match the prepositional phrases and phrasal verbs with the definitions.

1. keeping healthy
2. under the name
3. over the coming [time]
4. call back
5. cut costs
6. take out
7. in years to come

a. to telephone someone again or to telephone someone who telephoned you earlier

b. to reduce money that a company has to spend to operate
c. in the far future
d. staying fit, eating a nutritious diet, and taking care of your health
e. using a name that is not your real or original name
f. taking place over a defined period
g. to remove from a place
Intermediate

b. Match the phrases with their synonyms.

1. registered as/to 5. Remove/exit

2. in the future 6. Reply
3. taking care of yourself 7. During this period
4. reduce spending
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6 Discussion questions

a. Discuss these questions.

• Do you think patients would find an online appointment more comfortable if they had sensitive
issues to discuss with the doctor? Why/Why not?

• When do you think patients would be advised not to have an online appointment and to go into the
physical clinic instead? What kinds of medical problems might they have?

• Digital healthcare is likely to become more common as time goes on. What do you think digital
medical services will look like in 20 years’ time?

7 Wider business theme – assessing technology

a. Work in pairs to do the role play. Read the role description for A or B.

A: You are the designer of a new type of software that helps patients staying in hospitals with mental
health support. The software can talk to the patient on their mobile phone and send them positive
messages to help them improve their health. It has advanced artificial intelligence that allows it
to take note of a person’s tone of voice and read their facial expressions to help it understand
their emotional state. It can then adjust the support depending on the individual and how they are
feeling. You are going to give a lecture about the software and then provide a question-and-answer
(Q&A) session with staff at a large hospital that is interested in buying it. You need to assure them
that your software can deliver an excellent mental health support service and get the staff to see
the positives of buying your product.

B: You are a senior nurse on a busy ward in a hospital. You know that the managing director of the
hospital is planning to run a mental health campaign that will encourage patients to install mental
health support software on their phones. You are keen for patients to access this kind of technology
as it will help them recover and stay positive. However, you are worried that the technology will be
too basic and unable to help patients. The designer of a new type of support software is coming
into the hospital to give a Q&A session with staff about the software’s capabilities. You need to
make sure that you have asked key questions to help you decide whether you want the hospital to
adopt the software.
Intermediate

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 BUSINESS NEWS LESSONS
Digital doctors are going global

3. Understanding the article

Title of the lesson: Digital doctors are
going global
a. Students decide if the statements are true or false.
Encourage them to correct the false statements.
Level: Intermediate (B1–B2)

Time: Approximately 90 minutes Key:

1. False. Babylon is a digital health group based in
Business topic: Health and healthcare; the UK that has been using technology to improve
technology for process improvement; artificial medical services in Rwanda.
intelligence and advanced technology 2. False. Digital tools can be more affordable and
efficient, but critics are concerned about them.
3. True
4. True
Overview: This article discusses how a digital 5. True
health business is using artificial intelligence 6. True
to deliver an online medical service to 7. False. A review by the University of Sheffield
patients in Rwanda and considers whether found that software that allows patients to check
it is an advanced technological tool or basic their symptoms is usually used by young people
functionality with limited scope. who are more educated.
8. False. Few people in Rwanda own advanced
mobile phones, so they often use Babyl’s basic
functions. / Most people in Rwanda own basic/
1. Warmer simple mobile phones, so they often use Babyl’s
basic functions.
a. Put the students in pairs to discuss the questions. 9. True
Advise the students to consider the differences 10. True
between the capabilities of humans and technology
and how this affects what each can do in job roles. 4. B
 usiness Language – Compound
Ask for feedback from the class and make a list of the nouns
different suggestions. Ask the students to review the
answers and identify common themes. a. Explain that students will be completing the sentences
with the words in the word pool.
2. Key words
Key:
a. Students read the definitions and look for the words 1. smartphone
and phrases in the text. Remind them to use the 2. healthcare
paragraph number as a reference. 3. chatbot
4. health insurance
Key: 5. telemedicine
1. capabilities 7. remote
2. artificial intelligence 8. adjust b.  Ask students to use the new vocabulary to write
3. constraints 9. accuracy sentences about their own work or life. Have them
Intermediate

4. healthcare 10. rival work in pairs and compare their answers. Put the most
5. prevention 11. vulnerable interesting ones on the board.
6. chatbot
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c. As a class, brainstorm other compound nouns with

6. Discussion questions
the same first words as those in the exercise. Some
examples are: telemarketing, telemarketer, teleport,
a. Put the students into pairs to discuss the questions.
health check, health centre, chatroom, chat show,
Circulate and monitor each group’s progress,
smartwatch. Explain to students that there are
encouraging discussion when necessary. Once
permanent and temporary compound nouns. The first
all groups have completed the questions, ask
you can find in the dictionary because they have been
for feedback from the class, selecting a different
used for a long time and are common. This is also
student to answer each question. Encourage further
how you can look up the spelling and determine if the
discussion and ask the class: Do you think intelligent
compound noun is spelled separately, together, or with
machines could ever take over the roles of nurses
a hyphen. For some compound nouns, two different
and doctors in hospitals? There are lots of machines
ways of spelling can be correct. This can be especially
used in hospitals to carry out complex tasks - can you
true for temporary or new compound nouns. There are
describe any of these machines?
many new and temporary compound nouns in tech
and business because they are commonly made up
7. W
 ider business theme – adapting
to name new inventions, uses or phenomena.
technology
5. Business Language – prepositional
a. Assign the same pairs the roles of A and B and
phrases and phrasal verbs explain that they will be doing a role play. Ask the
students to read the role descriptions. If necessary,
a. Ask students to match the prepositional phrases and
encourage hesitant pairs with questions: How might
phrasal verbs with the correct definitions.
this software be better than other products on the
market? What would the software need to be able
Key:
to do to communicate with patients well? Once the
1. d
students have completed the role plays, ask those
2. e
3. f playing B if they think the software would be worth
4. a investing in and why. Provide further discussion and
5. b ask the class if they think that this kind of software
6. g would be a good therapy tool for the general public.
7. c Who is likely to benefit most from software like this
and why? How could it benefit people while we fight
b. Now ask students to match the phrases with their the virus?
synonyms.

Key:
1. under the name
2. in years to come
3. keeping healthy
4. cut costs
5. take out
6. call back
Intermediate

7. over the coming [time]

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