The Director of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Prof. Dorothy Yeboah-Manu, has called for the deployment of digital systems and artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure quality healthcare delivery.

She underscored that investing in these technologies would enable health professionals to deliver quicker and more accurate diagnoses, optimize treatment plans, and streamline healthcare delivery.

She said this in a keynote address at the 2024 University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) Research Conference, themed, "Transforming Health Systems to Achieve Universal Health Coverage in Africa.”

The Conference brought together researchers, health professionals, and policymakers to digest measures to enhance the provision of quality healthcare on the African continent towards achieving universal health coverage.

Prof. Yeboah-Manu said that "Embracing digital innovations and AI in our healthcare systems is not just an option; it's a necessity for achieving equitable and efficient healthcare delivery across the continent."

She said that Africa needs to embrace modern digital solutions to address the continent’s unique healthcare challenges and create resilient health systems that are universally accessible and equitable.

“We need to take advantage of the new age, which is the digital age whereby we can digitise our health records so that we could use the data generated in real-time to support our decision-making,” said Professor Yeboah-Manu.

She explained that AI-powered diagnostics, telemedicine, and data-driven health management systems could significantly reduce the gap in access to healthcare.

The Vice-Chancellor of UHAS, Professor Lydia Aziato encouraged other countries to join next year’s conference to foster a continent-wide dialogue on innovative healthcare solutions.

She further urged the Deans of various academic institutions to incorporate the UHAS Research Conference into their evaluation criteria for students.

“I want to use this opportunity to tell Deans who are having graduate programmes in our schools to make these seminar requirements or scoring events for the students,” she stated.

Professor Aziato also called on faculty members to show greater interest and commitment to the UHAS conference, underscoring the importance of sustained academic and institutional support.

She urged conference participants to explore the tourism potential of the Volta Region, saying that “Coming here is not coming to UHAS, it is coming to Ghana and part of the country that is serene,” she added.