Global health leaders call for country-led AI approach to disease elimination

Health ministers, funders, diagnostics leaders and global health experts have called for a country-led approach to using artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate disease elimination and improve the efficient use of resources amid growing pressure on health and humanitarian financing.

The call came during a session titled “Smarter Investment, Greater Impact: Harnessing AI to Accelerate Disease Elimination”, co-hosted by the Global Institute for Disease Elimination (GLIDE), the RBM Partnership to End Malaria and the Government of Nigeria on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Participants discussed how AI can support stronger decision-making, improve disease surveillance and enable more targeted interventions as donor budgets shrink and preventable infectious diseases, including malaria, polio and neglected tropical diseases, continue to place pressure on countries facing financial constraints.

Remarks by Muhammad Ali Pate, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, were delivered on his behalf by Michael Adekunle Charles, CEO of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria.

The remarks stressed that countries should lead decisions on how new technologies are adopted within their health systems. Nigeria continues to carry the world’s highest malaria burden and is implementing its Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative to strengthen primary healthcare and domestic financing.

Farida Al Hosani, CEO of GLIDE, said progress towards malaria elimination depends on translating global knowledge and innovation into practical capabilities at country level.

She added that GLIDE’s partnership with the RBM Partnership and its high-level engagements aim to equip national programmes and public health leaders with the tools, knowledge and partnerships needed to advance disease elimination according to national priorities and realities.

Participants also examined practical requirements for scaling AI-enabled programmes, including investment in data infrastructure, workforce capacity and integration into health systems, as well as mechanisms for directing capital towards viable opportunities.

Charles said malaria-endemic countries should remain at the centre of decisions on the adoption of AI and emerging technologies, strengthening manufacturing and building resilient supply chains.

During the session, GLIDE announced two AI training programmes for national programme managers and public health leaders.

The first, “GLIDE Leadership Excellence in AI for Health” (GLIDE-LEAH), is designed for senior decision-makers, while “AI for All”, developed by Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) and tailored in cooperation with GLIDE, targets public health professionals worldwide.

The programmes aim to equip health leaders with the knowledge and practical skills required to use AI responsibly in strengthening health systems and accelerating disease elimination.

The session concluded with the signing of a letter of mutual understanding between GLIDE and the RBM Partnership to End Malaria to strengthen country-led malaria control and elimination efforts.

The cooperation will connect global expertise, AI and technical innovation, and capacity-building programmes with the priorities of national malaria programmes and communities most affected by the disease.

The partnership aligns with the World Health Organization’s Global Technical Strategy for Malaria and aims to improve countries’ access to specialised expertise, learning and practical resources supporting malaria control and elimination.