The federal government has decided to integrate artificial intelligence into the Prime Minister Health Card Program for disease diagnosis, a move expected to benefit around 200 million Pakistanis through faster detection of complex illnesses including cancer and brain disorders, sources said.
The AI-based diagnostic system will be rolled out across 1,100 public and private hospitals nationwide.
An agreement between Chinese technology firm Alibaba Group and the Health Card Program is expected to be signed next month, formalizing the partnership behind the initiative.
According to sources, the use of artificial intelligence is expected to save billions of rupees in diagnostic costs. The program will be implemented in Islamabad, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir.
The Prime Minister has invited the head of Alibaba Group to visit Pakistan to advance the collaboration.
Sources further disclosed that the federal government currently spends Rs10 billion annually on the Health Card Program, while Punjab spends Rs60 billion and Balochistan Rs10 billion. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa spends more than Rs40 billion annually on its Sehat Sahulat Card program.
