The federal government is planning to introduce an artificial intelligence-powered diagnostic system under the Prime Minister’s Health Card Programme.
The system aims to improve disease detection and expand access to advanced healthcare services across Pakistan.
The AI-based diagnostic platform will be introduced in 1,100 public and private hospitals. The system is expected to help nearly 200 million Pakistanis receive faster and more accurate diagnosis of complex diseases, including cancer and neurological disorders.
Officials believe the use of AI-driven medical technology can also reduce diagnostic costs and potentially save the government billions of rupees.
An agreement between the Prime Minister’s Health Card Programme and Alibaba Group is expected to be signed next month to support the project.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also invited the head of Alibaba Group to visit Pakistan.
An official statement issued earlier by the Press Information Department said Alibaba-linked DAMO Academy and Sky47 would deploy AI-powered disease screening systems across major Pakistani cities as part of healthcare technology cooperation between Pakistan and Alibaba Group.
The AI diagnostic system is expected to be introduced in Islamabad, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The federal government currently spends around Rs. 10 billion annually on the Prime Minister’s Health Card Programme.
Punjab allocates around Rs. 60 billion for its programme, while Balochistan spends around Rs. 10 billion. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa spends more than Rs. 40 billion each year on its Health Card programme.
Officials believe the new system will improve healthcare efficiency, speed up disease detection, and reduce pressure on the public health system.
Separately, Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique earlier said the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research Center would be the first fully free government cancer hospital in Pakistan.
He said no patient would be denied treatment at the facility.
The minister made the remarks during a visit to the under-construction hospital, along with the Chairman of the Board and former Chief Secretary of Punjab, Captain (retd) Zahid Saeed, and Health Economist Dr. Muhammad Adnan Khan.
Khawaja Salman Rafique said patients with level three and level four cancer would also receive free treatment at the new hospital.
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