Fundación Occident promotes the democratisation of reliable medical diagnoses on a global scale with the MedBrain project

"The Foundation, together with the NGO Alegría Sin Fronteras and MedBrain Global, is leading this innovative initiative to ensure access to reliable medical diagnoses in countries and regions with limited resources. "

Half of the world’s population lacks access to reliable medical diagnoses — an alarming situation that puts millions of lives at risk, particularly in rural and disadvantaged communities. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this reality is mainly due to a shortage of medical specialists and essential diagnostic tests. 

In response to this challenge, Fundación Occident, together with the NGO Alegría Sin Fronteras and the organisation MedBrain Global, is driving the development and rollout of MedBrain — an artificial intelligence tool designed to improve medical diagnoses in countries and regions with limited resources. 

It is very simple to use. Through a structured clinical interview and a focused physical examination, MedBrain enables nurses and community health workers to generate accurate diagnoses in under five minutes, as well as to provide a personalised treatment plan. Its intuitive design and ability to run on mobile phones without an internet connection make it a viable solution even in the remotest areas.

 

Clinical validation and proven results

Thanks to its ease of use, MedBrain allows any primary care health professional to achieve a diagnostic accuracy comparable to that of a specialist doctor with years of experience. This claim is supported by an independent clinical trial promoted by the Government of Nigeria, which validated the tool’s effectiveness and confirmed a diagnostic accuracy rate of 92% when used by nurses in rural areas. The study is currently undergoing publication in an international scientific journal, which will further enhance the credibility of the technology.

“With this initiative, we can save lives – especially those of newborns, children and mothers who would otherwise have no access to quality medical care”, said Laura Halpern, President of Fundación Occident.

 

Pilot project in 50 healthcare centres in Ethiopia

To assess its impact in a real-world setting, Fundación Occident funded a pilot project in 50 primary healthcare centres in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. The programme was rolled out in three strategic phases. First, an intensive two-day in-person training course was organised, during which healthcare professionals acquired essential clinical knowledge to use MedBrain effectively. The progress was remarkable: the participants’ diagnostic accuracy went from 12% to 93% following the training, which was endorsed by the Oromia Health Bureau, certifying the programme and awarding official diplomas to those who completed it.

Each trained nurse then took on the role of trainer within their own health centre, passing on the knowledge acquired to colleagues through a peer-to-peer learning model. This approach significantly expanded the reach of the programme without requiring additional resources. To ensure the project's continuity and sustainability, general hospitals assumed responsibility for overseeing the use of MedBrain in the primary care centres within their jurisdictions. Area supervisors were appointed to monitor the correct application of the tool, ensure the continuity of the training model, and submit regular reports to both MedBrain and regional health system officials.

 

Project expansion

Following the success of this initial phase, the Foundation has decided to significantly expand its commitment. In 2026, with the support of Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health, Fundación Occident will fund the rollout of the programme to 1,000 primary care centres across the country. This marks one of the most ambitious digital health initiatives ever implemented on the African continent, aiming to provide reliable medical diagnoses to millions of people and reduce the burden of preventable and treatable diseases.

“Fifty centres are not enough. We want to go much further. With this next step, we aim to replicate the positive impact across a thousand health centres”, says Ignacio Gallardo-Bravo, Managing Director of Fundación Occident.

Through this initiative, Fundación Occident reaffirms its commitment to finding sustainable solutions that contribute to a fairer and healthier world, backing technological tools like MedBrain that ensure universal access to quality healthcare.