logo
Empowerment in action: How the Hlola EmpowerCare Initiative is shaping young doctors' futures

Empowerment in action: How the Hlola EmpowerCare Initiative is shaping young doctors' futures

IOL News03-06-2025
The initiative aims to empower 300 young unemployed South African doctors to become micro-entrepreneurs in healthcare.
Image: Innov8 Group Holdings
Innovation Edge has announced the launch of the Hlola EmpowerCare Initiative, a programme aimed at providing support to young South African doctors to become micro-entrepreneurs in healthcare.
This initiative is funded by the National Pathway Management Network (NPMN) Innovation Fund, a grant initiative led by the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) under the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI) and administered by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). Recruitment and Training for Young Doctors
Recruitment for the Hlola EmpowerCare Initiative is open until June 30, 2025, targeting young, post-community service doctors who are currently unemployed, engaged in locum work, or underemployed. The initiative aims to equip 300 medical doctors with U-Image, an innovative point-of-care ultrasound solution (POCUS) developed by Innov8 Group Holdings and its subsidiaries.
U-Image includes a locally developed ultrasound device, image storage software, bespoke clinical training, and certification. This training will provide doctors with the necessary skills to diagnose and treat common diseases and conditions requiring bedside ultrasound, with a strong emphasis on first-trimester scans for expectant mothers.
Addressing Healthcare Challenges
Access to ultrasound for pregnant women in the public health system is critically limited, with many clinics lacking the necessary equipment or trained professionals. This is particularly concerning in a country where infant and child mortality rates remain alarmingly high. In 2022, the Medical Research Council estimated that 30 out of every 1,000 infants born alive in South Africa did not survive their first year, while the under-five mortality rate increased from 29 per 1,000 in 2020 to 40 in 2022. Premature births and delivery complications are major contributors to these statistics, with limited antenatal care reducing the chances for early intervention. A Sustainable Future for Healthcare
'As an innovation-led healthcare holding business focused on re-engineering care delivery and point-of-care solutions, Innov8 Group Holdings – through Innohealth Technologies – will drive the execution of this initiative,' said Dr Chad Marthinussen, Founder and CEO of Innov8 Group Holdings and its subsidiaries.
'We'll supply the tools, recruit and match 300 young doctors with established care pathways, and equip them with our virtual care platform MypocketHealth, home-grown POCUS hardware, and training, certification, and commercial-skills programme. By enabling these clinicians to launch their own hybrid micro-enterprises, we'll dramatically widen South Africa's primary care footprint and create a sustainable engine for better patient access and outcomes.'
In addition to bespoke POCUS training, participants will receive business management and development training to help them establish and run their own medical practices.
The initiative includes training aimed at equipping young doctors with both clinical and business skills.
The Hlola EmpowerCare Initiative addresses immediate and long-term healthcare challenges by improving access to ultrasound scans for early detection of complications. It builds a sustainable network of young doctors with diagnostic and business skills, enhancing healthcare access in underserved communities and contributing to better maternal and child health while creating ongoing economic opportunities.
'As an impact-first investor that aims to empower entrepreneurs to solve early childhood challenges, supporting young doctors who want to make a difference is a natural fit for Innovation Edge. Our role in this project includes ensuring market access and monitoring and evaluation, which will be critical in scaling the impact of this initiative and driving sustainable improvements in maternal and child health outcomes,' says Gilbert Anyetei, Investment Principal at Innovation Edge.
This partnership is a transformative step toward strengthening South Africa's healthcare system, empowering doctors, expanding access to antenatal care, and ultimately contributing to improving early childhood outcomes to give children the strongest start in life.
[email protected]
IOL
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

G20 SA 2025: a defining moment for the nation and the continent
G20 SA 2025: a defining moment for the nation and the continent

TimesLIVE

time2 hours ago

  • TimesLIVE

G20 SA 2025: a defining moment for the nation and the continent

Johannesburg, as host city, will become a strategic hub of diplomacy, business exchange, and cultural showcase. While the summit itself is a high-level, closed-door affair, South Africans can expect a wave of public engagement, community-driven programmes, investment conversations, and national pride as the event draws near. 'The G20 presidency is a powerful opportunity for SA to place Africa's priorities at the heart of global decision-making. We are committed to driving an inclusive agenda that ensures no country, and no person, is left behind,' says President Cyril Ramaphosa. For the South African government, this is more than ceremonial. It is an opportunity for G20 members to transform commitments into lasting action. Key issues remain a challenge in the country and on the continent, and there is a call for greater accountability to drive tangible progress in the global pursuit of gender equality SA's G20 presidency is also an opportunity to elevate African perspectives, strengthen international alliances, and advance sustainable development goals. It is a chance to reinforce SA's commitment to multilateralism and global co-operation at a time when unity is more important than ever. As preparations intensify in the coming months, all eyes will be on SA not just as a host, but as a bridge between developed and developing economies. The 2025 G20 Leader's Summit is more than just a gathering of nations. It is a moment for SA to lead with purpose, to shape global consensus, and to drive transformation that begins on the continent but resonates across the globe.

Bad news for meat prices ahead of pay day weekend
Bad news for meat prices ahead of pay day weekend

The South African

time2 hours ago

  • The South African

Bad news for meat prices ahead of pay day weekend

South African households are feeling the pinch at the dinner table, with the price of meat – especially beef- emerging as a major driver of consumer inflation in June. According to the latest data from Stats SA, the annual food inflation rate climbed to 5.1%, marking a 15-month high, and meat was the leading contributor. This spike helped push the overall Consumer Price Index (CPI) up from 2.8% in May to 3.0% in June. The standout statistic: stewing beef prices skyrocketed by 21.2% year-on-year – the highest increase recorded since Stats SA's current CPI series began in 2017. Other beef cuts, such as mince and steak, also saw sharp monthly and annual increases, capping off a three-month streak of rising meat prices. The steep increases are being driven by several factors: Supply constraints , with the country's cattle herds still recovering from previous drought conditions. , with the country's cattle herds still recovering from previous drought conditions. Higher feed prices , driven by global grain market fluctuations. , driven by global grain market fluctuations. Increased input costs across the meat production chain. Meat is a staple in most South African diets, particularly among lower- and middle-income households. With meat making up a large share of household food budgets, the recent price hikes are disproportionately impacting vulnerable consumers. Economists warn that if the trend continues, families may be forced to: Shift to cheaper protein sources like chicken, eggs, or plant-based alternatives Buy smaller portions or lower-grade cuts Reduce meat consumption altogether 'Consumers are likely to start adjusting their buying habits. Meat, especially beef, is becoming a luxury,' said consumer analyst Thabo Mokoena. While other food categories like dairy and cereals have seen minor relief, meat inflation shows no sign of slowing. The trajectory of meat prices will be a key factor to watch in the next CPI report due in August. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.

Discover how AI-Powered analytics are revolutionising retail Forex Trading in 2025
Discover how AI-Powered analytics are revolutionising retail Forex Trading in 2025

Mail & Guardian

time3 hours ago

  • Mail & Guardian

Discover how AI-Powered analytics are revolutionising retail Forex Trading in 2025

The foreign-exchange market has always rewarded traders who can process information faster than the competition. In 2025, that advantage increasingly belongs to those who deploy artificial-intelligence-driven analytics. South African retail traders, once limited to basic charting packages and delayed economic calendars, now enjoy real-time pattern detection, sentiment scoring, and predictive order-flow models piped straight into their trading dashboards. What was once the preserve of hedge-fund quants is being delivered through cloud-first platforms that cost less per month than a Saturday braai with friends. Platforms such as The traditional technical-analysis toolkit still matters, but AI augments it in ways that speak directly to the needs of a retail audience. Deep-learning models trained on decades of market microstructure spot hidden liquidity pockets long before conventional indicators flash. Natural-language-processing engines scan every Monetary Policy Committee briefing out of Pretoria and every Treasury press release, tagging each sentence with a probability that it will move USD ZAR by more than 0.5 %. These probabilities appear as colour-coded prompts beside a trader's chart, trimming hours from the research cycle and reducing the urge to trade on gut feeling alone. South Africa boasts the largest, most liquid Predictive order-book heatmaps draw on Level-II data from Johannesburg-hosted servers, showing where institutional bots are clustering liquidity. Sentiment fusion models combine Twitter, YouTube, and local news feeds to score public mood about the rand, gold prices, and the broader BRICS narrative. Reinforcement-learning trade managers adjust stop-loss and take-profit levels dynamically, factoring in S&P 500 futures, Bitcoin momentum, and commodity index volatility. Voice-activated assistants let traders ask, 'What is the probability of a USD ZAR rally if Brent crude jumps three per cent?' and receive an instant, data-backed answer. These tools lower the knowledge barrier for beginners while giving veterans sharper edges for prop-firm assessments. AI is not merely about finding entries; it transforms risk control, too. Value-at-risk models that once refreshed daily now recalculate every minute, pulling live volatility surfaces from interbank venues. When sudden rand weakness lifts the three-month implied volatility curve, the smart system can automatically cut leverage on open positions or recommend a counter-correlated hedge in AUD USD. For South Africans trading from their phones between meetings, this auto-adjustment is a lifeline, preventing small mistakes from compounding into blown accounts. Moreover, AI exposes hidden correlations that local traders may overlook. In 2024, an unscheduled power-station outage in Mpumalanga coincided with a spike in inland coal prices, which in turn pressured mining-linked equities and dragged the rand lower. An AI engine that maps energy supply data to currency performance could have pre-emptively reduced exposure hours before the sell-off became obvious on charts. Looking toward the second half of 2025, three trends are set to intensify. First, edge computing under the POPIA framework will keep more personal data within South Africa's borders while still feeding anonymised trade statistics to global AI clouds, balancing privacy and performance. Second, generative AI agents will start running full back-tests and generating narrative reports that explain their logic in plain English, helping traders satisfy both compliance and client-reporting requirements without manual spreadsheets. Third, broker-agnostic neural APIs will allow savvy coders to plug AI signals directly into MT5 or cTrader, opening the door to semi-autonomous portfolios that self-rebalance based on volatility clustering instead of fixed time intervals. For retail traders, the message is clear: mastering the basics of forex remains essential, but harnessing AI analytics is quickly becoming the decisive differentiator. Those who embrace the new tools stand to capture moves earlier, size positions more intelligently, and protect capital during South Africa's trademark bouts of volatility. Traders who ignore the shift risk being outpaced by algorithms that never sleep. In a market where milliseconds matter and global flows can spin the rand from calm to chaos before dawn breaks over Table Mountain, AI-powered analytics offer a competitive edge that is both accessible and increasingly indispensable. Whether you are a newcomer placing your first micro-lot or an experienced day-trader aiming for consistent withdrawals in 2025, integrating intelligent datafeeds into your strategy could be the upgrade that turns potential into real, measurable performance.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store