KUWAIT CITY, Aug 25: Dr. Mohammed Al-Jarallah, President of the Islamic Organization for Medical Sciences, emphasized that artificial intelligence (AI) and digital health are central to developing the skills of health leaders and enhancing their decision-making capabilities within health institutions. He highlighted that Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are actively implementing initiatives aimed at improving patient safety and reducing medical errors. Dr. Al-Jarallah also called for the creation of a Gulf and Arab network dedicated to advancing the skills of health leaders through AI, marking the first call for such a network.

These remarks were made during the scientific symposium titled “Health Practices... Making Healthy Decisions at the Right Time,” which Dr. Al-Jarallah, also a former Minister of Health, sponsored. The event, held via Zoom, was attended by around 500 doctors and healthcare professionals from various countries, including Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Al-Jarallah pointed to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) focus on integrating AI to achieve sustainable development goals and universal health coverage. He noted that continuous training programs leveraging digital health technologies could enhance healthcare practitioners' ability to make accurate and timely decisions by up to 40%.

He stressed the importance of making timely clinical decisions, warning that delays in diagnosis and treatment could worsen a patient’s condition and lead to medical errors with serious consequences, including increased treatment costs. Dr. Al-Jarallah emphasized the need for a balanced approach to AI implementation, cautioning against rapid advancements without regulatory controls to ensure justice, equality, and adherence to ethical and legal standards.

He referenced the “Kuwait Document on Artificial Intelligence,” issued by the Islamic Organization for Medical Sciences and supported by His Highness the Amir of Kuwait. This document aims to establish ethical and legal guidelines for AI use in healthcare and reflects the leadership’s commitment to advancing the health sector while safeguarding the rights of patients, healthcare providers, and society.

Dr. Al-Jarallah further explained that using AI to enhance patient safety and prevent medical errors is a shared responsibility among all healthcare workers. Citing WHO studies, he noted that medical errors result in millions of deaths worldwide each year. He also underscored the importance of digital health in adopting global best practices for patient safety and in developing systems for monitoring and reporting medical errors. According to research published in BMJ, medical errors could be reduced by up to 50% through improved communication and modern digital health technologies.