KarvoAdmin AI sits in the lowest risk tier
The SA Medical Association's AI Task Team proposed treating admin AI with no clinical inference as low risk. Booking sits there. Triage doesn't, so Karvo doesn't triage.
Source: Mahomed et al., SAMJ 2026;116(5).AI front desk · medical and legal
Your patient rang at 18:30. The practice was closed.
Karvo answers the calls your reception can't get to: after hours, over lunch, when both lines are ringing. It books the appointment into your diary, sends the reminder and puts anything urgent through to a person. Law firms use it the same way for new enquiries and consultations.
Live demo · answers 24/7
- Polokwane Family PracticeMedical demo · fictional practicecode 2091
- Mokoena & Partners AttorneysLegal demo · fictional firmcode 9820
Two fictional practices, both live. Dial, enter a code, and try to get medical or legal advice out of it.
30-day pilot: R1,500 excl. VAT, setup waived · Either side stops on 48 hours notice · Weekly report of every call · Built in Polokwane
K Karvo Polokwane Family Practice
After-hours call · answered 18:31
Lerato M · 072 ··· ··18 · existing patient
Wants to see Dr Naidoo this week
Asked about a repeat script: taken as a message for the doctor
Booked: Thu 08:15, Dr Naidoo 18:33 ✓✓
Lerato M · 072 ··· ··18 · existing patient
Wants to see Dr Naidoo this week
Asked about a repeat script: taken as a message for the doctor
Booked: Thu 08:15, Dr Naidoo 18:33 ✓✓
Nothing urgent flagged. Reminder goes out Wed at 17:00.
What a Karvo call sounds like
Parent, 18:30 on a Monday
"Hi, I need to see Dr Naidoo. My son's had a fever since yesterday. Should I give him Panado?"
Karvo, first ring
"You're through to Polokwane Family Practice's automated assistant, and this call is recorded. If this is an emergency, please call 10177. I can't advise on medicine, so I'll pass your question to the practice for a person to call you back. Dr Naidoo has 08:15 tomorrow. Shall I book it?"
Illustrative script. The demo line is the real thing: call it.
What it does, and what it never does
Karvo does
- Answers missed, overflow and after-hours calls, and WhatsApp messages.
- Books, moves and cancels appointments in your diary.
- Sends reminders and confirmations.
- Takes down new legal matters with the names you need for a conflict check.
- Puts urgent calls through to a person, and gives 10177 for emergencies.
- Tells every caller it is an automated assistant and the call is recorded.
Karvo never
- Gives medical advice, a diagnosis or guidance on medication.
- Gives legal advice or an opinion on anyone's matter.
- Reads out results or discusses accounts. Those become callbacks.
- Pretends to be a person.
- Keeps a worried caller talking to software. When in doubt, a person gets the call.
Why the guardrails come first
The HPCSA now has rules for AI
Booklet 20, the HPCSA's guidelines on AI in healthcare, was published in December 2025. The practitioner makes the final call, and any AI tool has to comply with POPIA. Karvo never gets near the clinical call.
Sources: SAMJ 2026;116(5); BusinessTech, 27 Nov 2025; Bowmans.Health information is special
POPIA section 26 treats it as special personal information, and section 21 needs a written contract with any operator handling it for you. Karvo signs one with every practice.
Source: POPIA, Act 4 of 2013.Courts have sent attorneys to the LPC over AI
In Mavundla v MEC and Northbound Processing, papers cited cases that don't exist, and the judgments went to the Legal Practice Council. So at a law firm Karvo books and takes messages. It never researches, drafts or advises.
Sources: ENSafrica, 30 Oct 2025; GoLegal.Questions practices ask
Will patients know they're talking to software?
Yes. Every call opens by saying it's the practice's automated assistant and that the call is recorded. Phone the demo and hear the first ten seconds.
What happens in an emergency?
The caller hears "please call 10177" and the call goes through to the on-call number you give us. Karvo doesn't ask about symptoms or judge how serious they are.
Do we keep our number?
Yes. You forward missed, busy and after-hours calls to Karvo with a dial code. Another code switches it off.
Does it work with our diary?
Tell us which system you use on WhatsApp. We confirm how Karvo books into it before you pay for anything.
What does the pilot cost?
R1,500 excl. VAT for 30 days, paid upfront, setup waived. After that it's R2,500 to R4,500 a month depending on call volume. Pricing and pilot terms →
HL
Built in Polokwane by Hendrik Louw
I'm a software engineer. I built Karvo and I run it myself, so pilot practices deal with me directly on WhatsApp. There are no testimonials on this site yet, because the first practices are starting their pilots now. Judge it on the demo line and on your own weekly report.