THE HEALTH | MAY , 2023

BY KHIRTINI K KUMARAN

While AI may send shivers down the spines of healthcare professionals who fear their jobs may be reductant or phased out , how serious is this threat ?

For example , can AI tools help doctors make life-and-death decisions in diagnosing and treating patients ? It can ’ t . At best , AI may be able to read an X-ray or MRI , but only a doctor can decide how to treat .

Some feel there is no need to fear AI as embracing it can help reduce the workload of doctors and healthcare professionals and let them concentrate on the more essential tasks .

Deputy Director-General ( Public Health ), Ministry of Health ( MoH ), Datuk Dr Norhayati Rusli , said that AI is used to augment work processes and not replace doctors and diagnostics .

“ The healthcare sector in Malaysia has the potential to undergo several changes thanks to AI and robotics . For instance , AI can analyse big data and find insights and patterns humans cannot see , resulting in more precise diagnoses and individualised

Datuk Dr Norhayati Rusli treatment programmes .

“ Surgery and patient care can be aided by robots , which lowers the possibility of human error and increases the effectiveness of healthcare delivery ,” she said , adding that it was essential to ensure AI is used ethically , transparently , and with appropriate safeguards in place to protect patient privacy and safety .

Malaysian Medical Association ( MMA ) President Dr Muruga Raj feels AI is useful in proactive health management , which can help prevent diseases . “ Through tracking and processing of data , outcomes can be predicted early so that timely interventions can be introduced ; which may even prevent or even reduce hospitalisations .

“ AI is also being used to detect diseases like cancer more accurately in its early stages , enabling better outcomes . In treatments , AI enables medical professionals to take a more holistic approach to managing diseases and assists in coordinating better care plans through using certain apps .”

ROLE OF AUGMENTED INTELLIGENCE

He added : “ I believe most people will still want a personal touch in healthcare delivery . As humans , we have emotions . Patients will still want to see a human being attend to their health care needs .

“ AI and robotics may replace certain services to offer greater convenience , but it will be nearly impossible to replace the human touch in healthcare . No matter how high tech the healthcare sector may become , the high-touch in healthcare services and delivery is important .” The Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia ( APHM ) President Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh said : “ Many of the areas of healthcare use AI from public health prediction values , right up to even diagnosing certain conditions using CT scans , MRIs , radiology and imaging , as well as robotics .”

However , he assured that despite the growth of AI , it would not replace healthcare professionals because AI is utilised as augmented intelligence . Augmented intelligence is a subset of artificial intelligence in which AI technologies assist humans rather than replace them .

“ Regarding medicine , you cannot rely solely on AI because it may pick up on something irrelevant . So , with augmented intelligence , AI will assist , not replace . It will be a valuable tool to help experienced healthcare professionals to diagnose accurately and faster .”

He added that digitalisation and AI technology was good investment as it adds value to patient service . “ As mentioned , the technology aids doctors with fast and accurate diagnoses and treatment plans , which means doctors can attend to more patients , reduce complications and promote early recovery . This added value provided to patients translates to profit .”

Dr Rashid Khan , a Digital Health Malaysia committee member , said ChatGPT could help doctors by analysing patients ’ medical history and symptoms and suggesting differential or probable diagnoses in a fraction of minutes . “ It ’ s a useful diagnostic tool , but like any AI technology , it can also