Breaking Barriers: The Female Entrepreneur Integrating AI Healthcare in Africa
Written by Praise Afolabi on 17th April 2025
For many healthcare providers, innovation begins in the lab or boardroom. But for Katherina A. Perrantes, founder and chairman of ZAK Health Unlimited, it started as a calling and a lifetime of mission work. On Throwback Thursday with Eloho, Heartsong Live Radio, the Scottish-based female entrepreneur shares how her pain led to a life of purposeful innovation.
She is a minister in The Redeemed Christian Church of God, serving communities in Nigeria and Burundi. Her travels to Nigeria for ministry exposed her to deep health disparities across the continent that would soon become the focus of a groundbreaking healthcare mission.
FROM PERSONAL PAIN TO PURPOSEFUL INNOVATION
What began as a quest for recovery became a life-changing mission. When Katerina suffered from a debilitating hip problem, she sought an alternative solution referred to as Lipogems, a type of stem cell therapy. The outcome was remarkable: “I could walk again without a limp,” she states.
Motivated by her success, she partnered with the physician who developed the procedure to set up Africa’s first sports medicine and regenerative orthopaedics clinic in the middle of Lagos during the 2021 pandemic.
TACKLING THE HEALTH CRISIS IN AFRICA
In Sub-Saharan Africa, there are about 531 maternal deaths and 68 infant deaths for every 100,000 live births. Although many of these deaths are avoidable, mothers frequently put off getting help because of the expense, anxiety, or ignorance.
ZAK Health’s Telemedicine Service platform tackles the critical shortage of healthcare professionals by delivering a low-cost option for connecting with doctors remotely and obtaining vital health readings for just 20p (approximately 500 Naira).
“At the moment, we can keep an eye on the mother, and we are also working on keeping an eye on the baby,” Katerina says. “It’s about giving women the confidence to take charge of their health, wherever they may be.”
THE INFLUENCE OF FAITH ON INNOVATION
For Katerina, innovation isn’t simply about numbers. It’s an issue of a higher calling. As a devout Christian, she is certain that ZAK Health Unlimited was born from a calling and obedience to God.
“I moved after receiving a clear directive from the Lord. Sure, there was no business plan or funding available.”
During the pandemic, Lagos became home to Africa’s first advanced orthopaedics and sports medicine research centre. Currently, ZAK Health Unlimited is negotiating with the Rwandan government and is seeking even greater expansion.
She has made it her life work to bridge the gap in health care across the African continent. And she’s doing it through a smartphone, “ZAK Health Tech”.
HOW ZAK HEALTH IS REVOLUTIONIZING GLOBAL HEALTH?
The principal innovation of ZAK Health is an AI-powered health assessment tool that uses a smartphone to read nine important health biomarkers in just 20 seconds, such as blood pressure, stress levels, glaucoma, diabetes, and heart rate variability. Early detection is key.
Katerina compares it to assigning a co-pilot to each physician. “The evaluation takes place before the visit, allowing physicians to spend more time treating rather than speculating.” In nations like Nigeria, where there is a severe doctor shortage, this is especially important. One physician can now see up to five more patients daily thanks to ZAK Health, which helps bridge the access gap.”It’s not yet available in Europe or Africa, but I’m working on bringing it in”, she says.
WHY SHOULD SCOTLAND CARE?
Katerina’s story is more than an African tale. It highlights that Scotland, with its premier universities and a developed technology ecosystem, has a tremendous opportunity to influence the world’s equitable distribution of healthcare resources.
ZAK Health is open to partnerships, investment, and collaboration. “There are Scottish doctors, researchers, and investors who can be part of this,” she comments. “We are not just building tech, we are saving mothers and babies. This matters everywhere.”
WANT TO HELP? HERE’S HOW
Firstly, ZAK Health Unlimited is a B2B servicing organisations in diverse sectors. However, as they prepare to pilot in new African cities, there is an increasing need for partners who appreciate the twin senses of urgency and opportunity.
WHAT DOES HEALTHCARE INNOVATION MEAN TO YOU?
Katerina’s journey from patient to pioneer proves that one moment of healing can spark a movement. But transformation requires more than vision, it needs voices, partnerships, and people who care.
Have you ever experienced a healthcare gap, whether in Nigeria, Africa, or right here in Scotland? What innovations do you think could change the game where you are?
Let’s start a conversation that leads to action.
Drop your thoughts, tag a changemaker, or share this with someone who believes healthcare should work for everyone.
For more insights, follow Heartsong Live Radio on
Visit our website
Article compiled and edited by Praise Afolabi|Heartsong Live Radio
