Portugal joins HealthAI global network for AI oversight in healthcare

Portugal became the first European Union member state to join the HealthAI Global Regulatory Network (GRN), an international initiative that monitors the use of artificial intelligence in health care. The agreement between Portugal’s health regulator Infarmed and the Geneva‑based nonprofit HealthAI gives Portuguese authorities access to a catalogue of regulator‑reviewed AI health tools and a real‑time warning system for reporting harmful incidents. Portugal now joins the United Kingdom, India, Brazil, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Zambia and Peru in the network.

The move comes as the EU’s AI Act comes into force, accelerating the adoption of AI‑powered tools across European health systems. HealthAI, funded mainly by governments such as Canada, the United Kingdom, Norway and Singapore, aims to develop common standards and governance frameworks for AI in health. Infarmed President Ivo Santos said, “This is clearly better achieved through international cooperation and by sharing experiences and expertise.” HealthAI chief executive Baptista Leite added, “Whatever Europe does will have a spillover effect globally; it’s incredibly important that Brussels gets it right.”