PM's adviser urges AI-driven healthcare services

Prime Minister's Adviser on Public Administration Md Ismail Zabihullah has called for integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into healthcare services to improve diagnosis, treatment and medical management.

He made the call while addressing the closing ceremony of the 138th and 139th special basic training courses for BCS (Health) cadre officers, organised by the National Academy for Planning and Development (NAPD) in Nilkhet, Dhaka, on Monday. A total of 80 trainees attended the two courses.

Zabihullah, a member of the BNP standing committee who holds ministerial rank as an adviser to the prime minister on public administration, said Bangladesh needed to keep pace with global advances in AI, genomics, robotic surgery, telemedicine, medical devices and biotechnology.

“Following global developments alone is not enough; we must also develop new ideas and make our own innovations,” he said.

He said a government doctor could make a significant contribution to millions of people by introducing a new treatment method, a healthcare service model, a digital solution or an innovation in management.

Addressing the trainees, Zabihullah said healthcare was undergoing rapid transformation worldwide. AI was creating new possibilities in disease diagnosis, treatment management and prescription development, while robotic technologies were making surgery more precise and advances in genomics were opening up opportunities for personalised medicine.

He urged the doctors to build a culture of research and innovation, learn continuously, conduct research and make effective use of data. He also advised them to follow international healthcare standards and analyse both successes and failures in their work.

The adviser said government officials had an ethical responsibility to implement the government's election manifesto in the health sector.

He called on public officials to perform their duties with honesty, competence, innovation and dedication under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to build a prosperous, equitable and modern Bangladesh.

He also stressed the need to develop a people-friendly healthcare system where no one is deprived of treatment because of financial constraints and technology is used for public welfare.

Zabihullah said the government had accorded priority to the health sector, allocating the second-highest share of the budget to it. He said the government was working towards the BNP's election pledge of building a Bangladesh with accessible primary healthcare and better health outcomes.

He recalled that former president Ziaur Rahman had initiated upazila-level healthcare services through 30-bed hospitals, while former prime minister Khaleda Zia later upgraded upazila health complexes to 50 beds.

Building on that development, the government under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is taking initiatives to upgrade upazila health complexes to 150 beds, he said.

The government also aims to gradually increase health-sector allocations to 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) over the next few years, according to the adviser.

The move is intended to help people in remote areas access quality healthcare more easily and reduce the need to travel to cities for primary treatment, he said.

NAPD Additional Director General Saima Afroz delivered the welcome address at the event.

Zabihullah later distributed certificates among the trainees and awards among the winners.

NAPD Director General Md Khairul Kabir Menon chaired the programme, attended by faculty members and officials of the academy.