The Government of Balochistan and the National AI Hub for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on improving maternal, newborn and child healthcare through artificial intelligence, digital innovation and evidence informed decision making. The partnership will focus on applying emerging technologies to address healthcare challenges across the province and support better outcomes for women, newborns and children.
Under the agreement, the Government of Balochistan and the National AI Hub will identify areas where artificial intelligence enabled solutions can be applied to improve health systems, service delivery, policy development and planning. The collaboration will cover research, capacity building, as well as the co-development, piloting and evaluation of technology based solutions. Potential areas include digital health, health information systems, predictive analytics, clinical decision support, local language health tools and responsible artificial intelligence applications for public health. The initiative is also expected to use locally generated and context specific data to develop solutions suited to the needs of Balochistan rather than relying solely on models developed for other regions. The agreement was signed at LUMS in the presence of government officials, university leadership, researchers, public health specialists and technical experts. The Government of Balochistan delegation was led by Health Secretary Mujeeb Ur Rehman and included officials from the Health Sector Reforms Unit, Balochistan Health Management Information System (BHMIS) and Health Department. Representatives from the World Health Organization, UNICEF Balochistan and the Poverty Eradication Initiative also participated in the discussions.
During the ceremony, LUMS Provost and Acting Vice Chancellor Dr. Tariq Jadoon said the partnership would allow the National AI Hub to apply computer science, artificial intelligence and machine learning research to healthcare challenges. Dr. Walter Schwarzacher, Dean of the Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering at LUMS, said the work of the National AI Hub creates an opportunity to translate fundamental research into practical applications that can benefit public health. Dr. Maryam Mustafa, Director of the National AI Hub and Associate Professor of Computer Science, said the collaboration would be grounded in Balochistan’s specific circumstances and priorities. She emphasized the importance of developing localized tools with provincial stakeholders involved from the design stage so that solutions can be adopted and maintained according to local requirements.
Mujeeb Ur Rehman, Secretary of the Balochistan Health Department, said the partnership is intended to contribute to improvements in maternal, newborn and child health indicators, with LUMS providing technological expertise while the provincial government brings knowledge of the challenges facing the health sector. The collaboration comes as Balochistan continues to expand the use of digital systems within its healthcare infrastructure. The provincial Health Department has highlighted the implementation of DHIS-2 and AI FRAMS across the province as part of its health sector digitization efforts, while its digital health initiatives include the Balochistan Health Management Information System and other technology supported programmes. The new agreement with LUMS adds an artificial intelligence research and development component to these ongoing digital health efforts, with the National AI Hub expected to work alongside provincial stakeholders on solutions that can generate evidence for health policy and programme implementation.
Follow the SPIN IDG WhatsApp Channel for updates across the Smart Pakistan Insights Network covering all of Pakistan’s technology ecosystem.
