How MediBot is transforming clinical decision-making in Timor-Leste — and paving the way for healthcare equity across borders
Across Timor-Leste, healthcare workers face daily pressures that go beyond medicine. Many operate in remote clinics with limited clinical supervision, outdated reference materials, and little access to ongoing training.
The country’s official medical guidelines—while thorough—are largely written in English, often only available in printed form or pdfs fragmented in different websites, and disconnected from the urgent pace of frontline care.
For doctors and nurses making real-time decisions, this creates a dangerous tension: knowing what’s expected, but not having the tools to act confidently.
In partnership with local clinicians and the Ministry of Health, Equitech Collective developed MediBot, an AI-powered clinical decision support tool that delivers guideline-based medical advice in Tetun, directly through WhatsApp and Telegram.
Built on national protocols and tailored to local realities, MediBot doesn’t aim to replace clinicians. Instead, it serves as a co-pilot—amplifying their judgment with just-in-time, trustworthy guidance.
Whether treating malaria in a pregnant patient or identifying signs of childhood pneumonia, MediBot helps healthcare professionals move from uncertainty to clarity—with care that feels local, not outsourced.
“My patient is six years old and has a
high fever with vomiting. What should I do?”
And receive a clear, step-by-step care pathway aligned
with national standards, in her own language, within seconds.
What makes MediBot different isn’t just its speed or accuracy—it’s how it thinks. Instead of generating advice from scratch, MediBot uses retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) to ground every response in Timor-Leste’s official medical guidelines.
When a user asks a question—whether in English or Tetun. MediBot retrieves the most relevant clinical content, translates and interprets it contextually, then uses AI to respond in a clear, compassionate, and case-specific way.
In its first national deployment, MediBot has already begun shifting the culture of care—from guideline uncertainty to frontline confidence. Now available nationwide in Timor-Leste and seamlessly integrated into WhatsApp and Telegram.
For the first time, clinicians are supported. They can carry context-specific, government-approved guidance with them—on their phone, in their language, ready when it matters most.
Doctors onboarded
We have currently 50 doctors onboarded, with plans to scale Medibot nationally to all 1,200 doctors and 7,000 health workers to serve 1.5 million population.
Timor Leste language, added to Google Translate as part of increased awareness as a result of Equitech Collective and Maluk Timor’s work on MediBot.
“We are working together to bring the world’s newest technologies to address some of the world’s oldest challenges, improving healthcare in resource-poor Timor-Leste.”
Natarajan Rajaraman, Executive Director of Maluk Timor
Timor-Leste is just the beginning. Around the world, healthcare systems are growing rapidly—but many lack the time, tools, or language support to keep clinical knowledge within reach of every provider. That’s why we’re working to scale MediBot to new contexts—each one grounded in local guidelines, languages, and platforms.
Because when frontline workers have access to relevant, real-time clinical support, they don’t just treat illness. They restore dignity. They prevent harm. They deliver care that matters.
Are you looking for an AI-powered clinical decision support tool to streamline your operations? Do you operate in a setting with complex guidelines that can benefit from enhanced decision-making support? Do you have a use case where MediBot can revolutionise patient care? Try MediBot out now! Simply register your interest below, and we can help you build your very own MediBot—tailored to your organization’s unique needs and specific context.
Equitech Collective
We’re a team of designers, engineers, and development practitioners building human-centred tools for systems of care. From AI for migrant health to digital IDs and innovation sandboxes, our work spans clinics, classrooms, and cross-border communities. Explore our projects, partnerships, and prototypes—each shaped with local insight, built for impact, and driven by equity.
