DoctorSV: El Salvador's health data in Google's hands

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El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele is launching a new tech experiment in his country. In a nationwide radio and television address last week, he announced the expansion of an AI-powered telemedicine program for the care and follow-up of people with chronic diseases. According to Bukele, the next phase of the program is now beginning.

“This is the second phase, focusing on patients with chronic diseases... we are at a new level; we are talking about diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease,” said Bukele. He is “very excited because we are creating the best healthcare system in the world.”

Smartphone App “DoctorSV”

At the heart of the program is the mobile smartphone application “DoctorSV”. The government introduced this in November 2025. It is a platform that integrates video consultations with doctors, electronic prescriptions, and a digital patient record. In the future, it will also monitor the treatment of patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. The system, developed in collaboration with US tech giant Google, uses Google's AI agent Gemini. A significant part of the administration of El Salvador's public health system is thus being handed over to a Google AI system.

The announcement comes after the government laid off 7,700 healthcare workers just last year, including general practitioners, specialists, internists, nurses, and primary care staff, and faced significant criticism for it.

During his appearance, Bukele was accompanied by Guy Nae, Director of Google Cloud for the Public Sector in Latin America, as well as several Salvadoran health experts. One of them, specialist Edgardo Von Euw, explained that the program aims to identify people with chronic diseases. “Artificial intelligence will be a great help in this, as it analyzes the risk factors present in the medical records.”

Half a Billion US Dollar Agreement

Essentially, the program works by allowing any Salvadoran to download the DoctorSV app, create a patient record, and enter their symptoms into a form. The system analyzes the data and then schedules an appointment with a doctor who makes the diagnosis. Subsequently, the AI recommends the necessary tests and monitors the treatment – both for occasional consultations and for chronic conditions.

The government of El Salvador and Google Cloud publicly announced a seven-year agreement in the summer of 2023, intended to “support the country on its path to becoming a technology hub in Central America.” Shortly thereafter, Bukele's ruling party, Nuevas Ideas (NI), passed a regulation requiring the state of El Salvador to allocate at least 500 million US dollars for the implementation of this “strategic alliance” with Google. However, the project details remained confidential.

Eldorado for Tech and Crypto Enthusiasts

President Bukele is not only relying on global tech corporations in the healthcare sector. At the end of last year, he agreed with X CEO Elon Musk to use the AI chatbot Grok in El Salvador's public schools to launch the world's first nationwide AI-supported education program.

Previously, in September 2021, El Salvador became the first country in the world to declare Bitcoin legal tender. The government promised better access to payment systems for the poor, easier remittances from Salvadorans abroad, and more foreign investment. None of this materialized; only a tiny percentage of the population used the cryptocurrency as a means of payment. Critics, however, warned from the outset about dangers to monetary stability due to Bitcoin's high volatility, lack of transparency, and potential for money laundering. In early 2025, under pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), El Salvador's parliament rescinded the recognition of Bitcoin as legal tender. Nevertheless, the country continues to hold large Bitcoin reserves.

(akn)