Uganda is using an automated voice-call system to monitor cancer patients between hospital visits, helping doctors identify serious treatment side effects and determine when patients may need to return to hospital earlier.
The system was developed by the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) to address challenges faced by patients who often travel hundreds of kilometres to access cancer treatment.
The automated service calls patients after treatment and asks them about common side effects, including vomiting, pain, nausea and mouth wounds.
Their responses are then sent to doctors, who can decide whether a patient needs medical attention before their scheduled appointment.
The system was presented at the 2026 World Cancer Congress in Hong Kong by Johnblack Kabukye, a medical doctor and informatician at UCI.
Kabukye said the institute previously established call centres where patients could call and receive cancer information from operators in seven languages. The new system automates the process by placing calls directly to patients.
When patients receive treatment, nurses collect their phone numbers, preferred language and preferred time for calls. A computer then automatically contacts them every few days.
Patients respond to pre-recorded questions by selecting from four options, allowing the system to collect information about their condition without requiring a healthcare worker to speak directly with them.
The information is then made available to the patient’s doctor, who determines whether further medical attention is required.
The system uses Interactive Voice Response technology and does not require patients to have smartphones, internet access or high levels of literacy. Because the hospital initiates the calls, patients do not have to pay for them.
The technology was initially tested in a research pilot involving about 100 patients with blood cancers. The system made around 700 automated calls each week, with about 18 patients reportedly advised to return to hospital earlier than planned because of serious side effects.
The pilot was funded with $50,000 from the International Cancer Foundation in Switzerland and was also designed to support cancer awareness and education.
UCI currently has six channels supporting the automated calling system. According to Kabukye, expanding the service across Uganda would require increasing the number of channels to about 100, adding more local languages and securing funding for airtime.
The institute is also considering the use of solar power to operate the system in response to Uganda’s power supply challenges.
Ugandan cancer advocate and breast cancer survivor Getrude Nakigudde said the technology could help reduce the financial burden on patients, particularly those who pay for healthcare out of pocket.
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She said patients in low-income communities can struggle to return to hospitals between scheduled appointments, meaning serious complications may go undetected.
Daniel Kyabayinze, director of public health at Uganda’s Ministry of Health, said the government plans to adopt the tested system at the Uganda Cancer Institute.
He said the automated system could reduce costs because it would not require additional staff to make follow-up calls. If the system proves successful at the institute, the government could consider deploying similar systems at regional cancer centres.
The initiative comes as cancer cases continue to increase globally, with low-income countries facing growing pressure to expand access to cancer care.
The World Health Organization and International Agency for Research on Cancer reported 20.6 million new cancer cases and almost 10 million deaths in 2024, with global cases projected to approach 35 million annually by 2050.
Kabukye said UCI is now adapting the automated calling system for patients with other types of cancer, including breast cancer. The questions can be modified according to the type of cancer and treatment received.
The team also hopes to expand the technology to other African countries, potentially allowing cancer patients to receive follow-up monitoring remotely without having to travel long distances or use smartphones and internet services.
About the Author
Cecilia Attah is a tech analyst with a degree from Benue State University. She covers tech news and startups at TechRegard with a focus on how technology is transforming Africa and shaping the global landscape.
