Health leaders urge country-led AI adoption to combat disease

At the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, health leaders and development partners advocated for the country-led adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies to combat diseases like malaria, polio, and neglected tropical diseases.

Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, emphasized that malaria-endemic countries must lead decisions regarding technology adoption and the strengthening of supply chains to ensure tools meet local realities. The initiative, co-hosted by the Global Institute for Disease Elimination (GLIDE) and the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, aims to use AI to improve disease surveillance and decision-making amid shrinking global health budgets.

Sierra Leone’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Mustapha Kabba, also addressed the UNGA Digital Health Symposium, arguing that the value of emerging technologies should be measured by their ability to facilitate rapid, life-saving clinical decisions at the point of care. He cautioned against creating disconnected data layers and urged developers to ensure new digital tools are compatible with existing national health systems to avoid fragmentation.