The federal government is planning to introduce an artificial intelligence powered diagnostic system under the Prime Minister’s Health Card Programme, aimed at improving disease detection and expanding access to advanced healthcare services across the country. The AI based diagnostic platform is set to be introduced in 1,100 public and private hospitals, with officials expecting it to help nearly 200 million Pakistanis receive faster and more accurate diagnosis of complex diseases, including cancer and neurological disorders. Officials believe the technology could also reduce diagnostic costs and potentially save the government billions of rupees over time.
An agreement between the Prime Minister’s Health Card Programme and Alibaba Group is expected to be signed next month to support the project, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also inviting the head of Alibaba Group to visit Pakistan. An earlier statement issued 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 a broader healthcare technology partnership between Pakistan and the Alibaba Group.
The AI diagnostic system is expected to be rolled out nationwide, covering 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, while Punjab allocates around Rs. 60 billion for its own programme, Balochistan spends around Rs. 10 billion, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa spends more than Rs. 40 billion each year on its provincial Health Card scheme. Officials believe the new system will improve healthcare efficiency, speed up disease detection and reduce pressure on the public health system as demand for medical services continues to grow.
In a related development, Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique said the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research Center will be one of the leading fully free government cancer hospitals in Pakistan once completed, with no patient turned away from treatment. He made the remarks during a visit to the under construction facility alongside the Chairman of the Board and former Chief Secretary of Punjab, Zahid Saeed, and Health Economist Dr. Muhammad Adnan Khan, adding that patients with advanced stage cancer, including level three and level four cases, will also receive free treatment once the hospital becomes operational.
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