Gaps drive AI push at private hospitals

31% adult diabetes rate, low physician numbers fuel digital transformation

ISLAMABAD:

Private hospitals across Pakistan are accelerating investments in artificial intelligence, cloud platforms, data analytics and systems interoperability as competition intensifies in the multi-disciplinary care market. The push aims to create seamless physical-to-digital patient journeys and meet rising expectations for international-standard services.

Hospitals are responding to structural weaknesses in the country's healthcare landscape. Pakistan spends under 3% of GDP on health, far below the required level, leaving government facilities overloaded and private providers under pressure to fill the gap. The country has roughly one physician for every 833 people, compared with the global average of one per 536, according to World Bank estimates. High disease burdens compound the strain: more than 31% of the adult population lives with diabetes, one of the highest rates in the region. A digital transformation can improve access to healthcare, improve record-keeping, lower the cost of consultation and diagnostics, improve awareness, and inform public policy on healthcare with more accurate data, said Zeeshan Aftab, co-founder of 10Pearls, an AI-native digital engineering firm, which entered a strategic technology partnership with Novacare, a multi-disciplinary hospital focused on internationally accredited, digitally advanced care delivery.

"AI is already changing how clinicians work," he said. Advanced imaging systems can detect early signs of breast cancer in mammograms up to six years earlier than human experts in around 20% of cases. Models that combine medical records, lifestyle data, past treatments and genetic information are enabling more precise, personalised treatment plans and earlier risk identification. Ambient clinical documentation tools further reduce the administrative load on doctors, allowing them to spend more time with patients, he added.

For patients, the day-to-day impact could be significant. Properly implemented digital tools promise shorter waiting times, more attentive consultations free from paperwork fatigue, and earlier disease detection through advanced diagnostics.

In the longer term, costs may decline as systems become more efficient. Wearables and specialised devices could support continuous monitoring at home, while AI-based assistants may help individuals make better-informed health decisions, Aftab highlighted. "Yet technology alone is not enough," he emphasised. Building internal capability and structured knowledge transfer are equally critical. Hospitals that develop their own technical, compliance and workflow expertise reduce long-term dependence on external partners and gain the ability to maintain, adapt and expand systems as needs evolve.

The demand for AI is high and finding experts in the field is a huge task.

At Novacare, our ambition is to build something special in hospital care, where clinical standards, workflow, and patient experience are designed to work as one, said Hans Kedzierski, Director & CEO of Novacare. "Finding a partner with real depth in hospital operations, and not only in software, took us a long time. 10Pearls brings both, which is why we chose them to help us deliver the standard of care our patients deserve." Interoperability remains one of the toughest obstacles, said Aftab. Pakistan lacks a unified electronic health record system across hospitals and has no comprehensive data privacy law. Different institutions operate under varying privacy policies, raising the risk that digitisation simply creates more elaborate data silos. While the NADRA-issued CNIC offers a reliable unique identifier for adult patients, technical and policy standardisation is still missing. Even in markets with mature standards such as FHIR, legacy systems often struggle to communicate effectively with newer platforms.

Patient data privacy and clinical safety require careful attention as advanced solutions are introduced, he said. In the absence of a detailed local framework, organisations are looking to international benchmarks such as HIPAA and GDPR for privacy baselines, supplemented by AI-specific governance. Clinical safety standards including IEC 62304 and ISO 14971 guide the development of digital medical tools. Solutions must also comply with Pakistan's PECA 2016 (as amended in 2025) and, where applicable, DRAP regulations for medical devices. The broader shift reflects a maturing private healthcare market, said Kedzierski. Multi-disciplinary hospitals are treating digital infrastructure not as an optional upgrade but as a competitive necessity. Seamless integration between physical care and digital channels is emerging as a key differentiator, while operational efficiency, reduced administrative burden and stronger data for decision-making are becoming central to sustainability.