Artificial Intelligence in Health: Lisbon hosts international conference with representatives from 37 countries

Lisbon is hosting one of the leading international events on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in health on 15 and 16 July. Organised by the World Health Organization (WHO), in cooperation with Portugal's Ministry of Health, the conference brings together Ministers and Deputy Ministers of Health, senior government officials, experts, scholars and representatives of international organisations from 37 countries across the six WHO regions.

Opening the conference, Minister of Health Ana Paula Martins said that "this meeting in Lisbon reaffirms our shared commitment to ensuring that AI serves people and helps build safer, fairer and more resilient health systems."

She added that "AI represents a historic opportunity to strengthen health systems and improve people's lives."

The High-Level International Conference "Shaping AI in Health", the central event of the programme, focuses on the governance and strategic leadership of AI in health, legal, ethical and accountability frameworks, data governance, interoperability, workforce preparedness and responsible investment models for the implementation of these technologies.

The conference aims to translate political commitment into practical action by supporting countries in adopting Artificial Intelligence solutions tailored to the different levels of digital maturity of their health systems, while promoting innovation, improving the quality of healthcare and ensuring more equitable access to health services.

Portuguese-speaking countries strengthen cooperation in digital health

Alongside the conference, Ministers of Health and government representatives from Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe and East Timor are holding a working meeting to strengthen cooperation in the field of digital health.

The meeting aims to promote the exchange of knowledge and best practices, develop common strategies and accelerate innovative solutions that improve access to, quality and efficiency of healthcare.