The federal government has decided to introduce an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered diagnostic system under the Prime Minister’s Health Card Programme, aiming to improve disease detection and expand access to advanced healthcare services across Pakistan.
According to sources, the AI-based diagnostic platform will be implemented in 1,100 public and private hospitals, enabling nearly 200 million Pakistanis to benefit from faster and more accurate diagnosis of complex diseases, including cancer and neurological disorders.
The initiative is expected to significantly reduce diagnostic costs, potentially saving the government billions of rupees through the use of AI-driven medical technology.
Sources said an agreement between the Prime Minister’s Health Card Programme and Alibaba Group is expected to be signed next month to support the implementation of the project. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also invited the head of Alibaba Group to visit Pakistan.
The AI diagnostic system will be introduced in Islamabad, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir as part of the nationwide rollout.
According to sources, the federal government currently spends around Rs10 billion annually on the Prime Minister’s Health Card Programme. Punjab allocates approximately Rs60 billion, Balochistan Rs10 billion, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa spends more than Rs40 billion each year on its Health Card programme.
Officials believe the adoption of AI technology will improve healthcare efficiency, accelerate disease detection and reduce the financial burden on the country’s public health system.
Punjab to get first ever cancer hospital with free treatment
Earlier, Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique shared that the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research Center will be the first fully free government cancer hospital in Pakistan. He added that no patient would be denied treatment.
He made these comments during a visit to the hospital, which is currently under construction, accompanied by Chairman Board and former Chief Secretary of Punjab, Captain (retd) Zahid Saeed, and Health Economist Dr. Muhammad Adnan Khan, to assess the project’s ongoing progress.
Khawaja Salman Rafique further expressed that, Insha Allah, patients with level three and level four cancer would also receive complimentary treatment at the new facility.
Read more: Punjab to get first ever treatment free cancer hospital soon
