Ministry of Health embraces AI in health services

Kenya's Ministry of Health (MoH) plans to widely embrace artificial intelligence to address the country's healthcare challenges.

Head of Informatics at the ministry, Dr Job Nyameino, said this will be done ethically and securely.

He noted AI will never replace medics but will improve timely epidemic prediction, cost analysis, and life-saving alerts.

"AI is there to catch diseases subtly before they spiral, notify the public early on, and hence calculate costs and losses had detection happened later," Dr Nyameino explained.

He spoke in Nairobi at a panel discussion organised by Penda Health, an outpatient services provider with 19 clinics across Nairobi, Kiambu and Kajiado counties.

He said AI can also streamline administrative tasks and optimise resource allocation within the healthcare system. For instance, AI-powered systems can automate routine administrative processes, such as appointment scheduling, billing, and inventory management, freeing up healthcare professionals to focus more on patient care.

"We aim to provide a personalised medical file for all Kenyans, using AI to increase access and care quality regardless of resources," Nyameino said.

He added that by leveraging AI technologies, the ministry aims to usher in a new era of innovation and excellence in healthcare provision.

“This not only improves patient outcomes but also enhances the efficiency of healthcare delivery by reducing the time and resources required for diagnosis and treatment,” he said.

The panel discussed the role of AI in healthcare in Kenya, addressing safety concerns, patients' views, opportunities and challenges.

The discussion also featured Stephanie Koczela, the CEO of Penda Health, Dr Fred Mutisya, Mandela Kibiriti and Sarah Kiptinness.

Stephanie called for the prioritising of individuals when transitioning to an AI-driven system.

"Transitioning to an AI-powered system requires a culture shift focused on people," she said.

Speakers emphasised on adequate training of healthcare providers in AI methodologies that prioritize patient needs.

Dr Kiptinness, Head of Clinical Services at Penda Health, highlighted the importance of promoting digital literacy and portraying AI as a complement rather than a replacement to healthcare roles to positively influence attitudes.

"By making these innovations human-focused, transparent and capacity-building, we can unlock immense gains in care provision nationwide," she said.

A common patient concern is the distrust of diagnoses from doctors who rely solely on internet searches for symptoms. However, Kenyan health authorities said they aim to responsibly integrate AI to enhance clinician capabilities.

Dr Nyameino stressed that addressing AI mistrust is a matter of change management concerning the appropriate use of technology in healthcare.

He outlined ongoing infrastructure upgrades in community health facilities to integrate intelligent systems, while emphasising the importance of maintaining human interaction through smartphone apps.

To ensure inclusivity in areas with limited resources, diverse communication channels are being explored to accommodate the expansion of AI capabilities.

Instead of replacing doctors, machine learning will empower community health workers with valuable insights for timely epidemic prediction, cost analysis, and life-saving alerts.

Dr. Nyameino said by training clinicians to view AI as a supportive tool rather than an infallible diagnostic tool, stakeholders aim to enhance provider-patient trust and treatment outcomes as smart systems are implemented nationwide.

Last month, the World Health Organisation suggested new rules to guide artificial intelligence in healthcare.

WHO said AI has great potential in health care but also possible pitfalls.

The guidance outlines more than 40 recommendations for consideration by governments, technology companies and healthcare providers to ensure the appropriate use of large language models (a form of AI) to promote and protect the health of populations.

LLMs can accept one or more types of data inputs, such as text, videos, and images, and generate diverse outputs not limited to the type of data inputted.

LLMs have been adopted faster than any consumer application in history, with several platforms — such as ChatGPT, Bard and Bert — entering the public consciousness in 2023.

“Generative AI technologies have the potential to improve health care, but only if those who develop, regulate and use these technologies identify and fully account for the associated risks,” WHO chief scientist Dr Jeremy Farrar said