The South African Medical Association (SAMA) is harnessing the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and technology in bridging the access gap in healthcare for millions of underserved South Africans.
In a two-day event titled “Roundtable on AI for the Health of the Nation”, SAMA brought together healthcare professionals, policymakers and technology leaders, including the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Professor Blade Nzimande, to chart a practical and inclusive path for AI in healthcare
“Doctors must be at the heart of AI innovation – from critical care units to remote patient monitoring systems. With robust clinical leadership, we can build practical, ethical, and inclusive strategies that leverage AI to deliver better healthcare outcomes for all South Africans,” says SAMA chairperson, Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa.
The roundtable hosted by SAMA provided key stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, AI experts, policymakers and academics, with a platform to discuss the potential, challenges, and ethical considerations of implementing AI in the South African healthcare system.
“As the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation we have set in place a 10-year strategy for the broader scientific sector that covers the decade from 2022 – 2032,” says Prof Nzimande. “The strategy coincides with the United Nations’ Strategic Development Goals and South Africa’s National Development Plan.
“This strategy has various key focus areas and on technology in healthcare, that SAMA can make a significant impact in solving some of the country’s biggest challenges. From climate change, alternative sources of energy, modernising our economy and the future of work, AI has the potential to greatly improve lives.
AI in healthcare offers unprecedented opportunities in improving diagnostics, and therapeutics as well, with the two being deeply interlinked. If diagnostics are sharper and more specific, supported by AI, therapeutics will also improve drastically to achieve more effective personalised treatment and prevention plans,” Prof. Nzimande adds.
AI has already demonstrated its potential as a game-changer for medicine and medical practice, globally, thus enabling early diagnosis of diseases, optimised resource allocation, and improved public health surveillance. However, scaling these innovations across diverse contexts – through robust data infrastructure (cloud, data centres and edge technology) and physical connectivity (network and devices) – particularly in rural areas, requires responsible and ethical implementation that supports overall wellness and sustainable development.
Unlike many other regions of the world, the majority of Africa’s population still live in sparsely populated areas, where vast distances often separate impoverished communities from essential services. Between 2000 and 2023, Africa’s rural population grew from around 531-million to over 802-million.
In order to improve access to healthcare for even the most vulnerable communities, technology developers need to ensure that healthcare providers are at the core of developing the algorithms and machine learning systems.
South Africa faces significant healthcare challenges, including a high burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases, staff shortages, and infrastructure gaps. Unfortunately, vulnerable communities, particularly in rural and underserved areas, suffer the most.
Dr Mzukwa comments on the outcomes of the roundtable: “The valuable insights gathered from the sessions and the real-world experience of healthcare providers, including the heartbreaking consequences of systemic and logistical barriers on the poor, should be thoroughly and carefully integrated into the tools and platforms that shape more efficient delivery mechanisms.
“With doctors at the core of the development of smart healthcare solutions like artificial intelligence critical care units (AICU) and remote monitoring of patients, we can draw from robust clinical leadership to help shape practical, ethical and inclusive strategies for the integration AI into our healthcare system,” he adds.