NHS and LUMS Sign MoU to Deploy AI for Maternal and Child Health

LAHORE: A Memorandum of Understanding has been inked between the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination and the National AI Hub at Lahore University of Management Sciences in relation to developing solutions using artificial intelligence to improve the state of maternal, newborn and child health in Pakistan.

The Federal Secretary Muhammad Aslam Ghauri and Director General Dr. Shabana Saleem participated from the Ministry of Health & Wellness. From the LUMS side, the Provost Dr. Tariq Jadoon and Dr. Agha Ali Raza from the Department of Computer Science were present for the ceremony. A representative from the Gates Foundation, Mr. Naveed Akbar, was also there to witness the agreement signing ceremony.

The Agreement and What It Achieves

The agreement facilitates the collaboration of both organizations in determining Pakistan’s most critical issues in MCH and creating AI-driven solutions for them, in line with rigorous research and the policies of the health ministry.

"The partnership will improve maternal and child health care using the power of safe and effective AI."
Federal Secretary Muhammad Aslam Ghauri

Why Maternal & Child Health - Pakistan’s Most Pressing Priority

The AI program of maternal & child health in partnership with NHS LUMS in Pakistan addresses an area which sees the poorest performance of Pakistan in terms of the developmental goals it seeks to achieve. The maternal mortality rate, the neonatal mortality rate, and the rate of mortality among under-five children in Pakistan position the nation among some of the poorest performing countries in South Asia – due to a wide variety of factors including lack of access to antenatal care, childbirth attendance, newborn care, and access to health facilities when needed.

There are concrete and proven ways in which artificial intelligence can be used in this field that the NHS LUMS AI maternal child health Pakistan collaboration could exploit and validate nationwide:

Proactive risk detection: the use of AI algorithms on patient records to detect at-risk pregnancies before problems arise, allowing for preemptive action

Clinical decision making assistance: use of AI techniques to provide guidance to CHWs and midwives about best practices in places where there is no specialist supervision available

Optimised supply chains: the use of AI forecasting to ensure that there are no shortages of medications and other supplies required for maternal and child care at peripheral healthcare centers

Recognition of patterns in health data: identification of patterns geographically, seasonally, and demographically among negative maternal and child health outcomes

National AI Hub of LUMS – The Technical Powerhouse

The partnership between the NHS LUMS AI Maternal & Child Health Pakistan project and the National AI Hub at LUMS is based on the ability of the National AI Hub to provide the technical capabilities associated with a very good academic institute in the field of artificial intelligence in Pakistan. In this regard, the hub provides computer science knowledge, data science, and applied research skills required to develop AI for use in Pakistan's environment.

Dr. Agha Ali Raza from the Computer Science Department at LUMS, who participated along with the University’s Provost, Dr. Tariq Jadoon, has previous research experience in AI applications related to healthcare and language technology in the Pakistani multilingual environment. The above-mentioned research experience is highly relevant to AI applications in Maternal and Child Health, where patient communication, advice to community health workers, and data gathering instruments have to work in languages like Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, etc.

Gates Foundation’s Representation – Its Significance

The representation of a consultant from the Gates Foundation, namely Naveed Akbar, in the signing ceremony of NHS LUMS AI maternal and child health Pakistan MoU, has significance far beyond just being present in the ceremony. The Gates Foundation has made substantial investments in interventions to promote maternal and child health in LMICs, as well as their AI applications for the same.

MoU to Impact

NHS LUMS AI maternal & child health Pakistan MoU provides a structure – the real work starts here. Turning an MoU into actual deployment of AI that benefits pregnant women in Muzaffargarh, newborn care procedures in rural areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and children's nutrition programmes in underprivileged districts of Sindh involves a lot more than just signing an agreement; it needs institutions, data, regulation on use of AI in medicine and patient-centred iteration.