The Ministry of Health is preparing comprehensive legislation to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in medicine
Over 80 per cent of Ukrainian healthcare professionals are already using AI tools.
Photo: Viktor Lyashko / Facebook
Artificial intelligence is already actively helping doctors to analyse test results and detect dangerous diseases much more quickly. According to data from a survey by the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, in which over 7,000 healthcare professionals, 300 patients and 39 representatives from the business sector and relevant organisations took part, 80.5 per cent of the healthcare professionals surveyed are already using AI tools in their practice.
The next strategic step for the state is to establish transparent conditions for the large-scale and secure implementation of innovative algorithms within the healthcare system.
Ukrainian developments and European experience in clinical screening
Promising technological solutions are already emerging in Ukraine that are capable of significantly reducing the workload of GPs. A prime example is the Ukrainian-developed CheckEye, which uses artificial intelligence algorithms to analyse images of the retina and, in around 30 seconds, helps determine whether a patient requires further examination. The technology has already been successfully trialled at primary care facilities in the Odesa and Chernihiv regions — a total of 873 patients underwent screening.
At the same time, this field is being actively scaled up within the European Union. In particular, a specialised network of medical centres is being developed there to test and implement AI in the screening of cancer and cardiovascular diseases, with nearly 270 healthcare organisations having already joined the network.
Why does the medical profession need legislative regulation and ethical safeguards?
Despite considerable interest from specialists, Ukraine still lacks comprehensive legislation governing the use of artificial intelligence systems in healthcare. This gap creates legal uncertainty for developers and hospitals, hindering the full-scale roll-out of proven technologies.
To address this issue, the Ministry of Health has begun drafting a specific bill.
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