Santa Cruz de Tenerife 31 Jan (Europa Press) –
The president of the Canary Islands Government, Fernando Clavijo, inaugurated this Friday the forum on the ‘digitalisation of health systems: practical applications of artificial intelligence (AI)’, held at the headquarters of the Presidency of the Government of the Canary Islands in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. This event assembles experts and politicians to discuss “shared challenges” and to progress “jointly” with this transformative tool.
The Vice Minister of Health and Director of the Canary Health Service (SCS), Carlos Gustavo Díaz, the Secretary General of Digital Health in the Ministry of Health, Juan Fernando Muñoz, and the vice president of the Parliament of the Canary Islands, Ana Oramas, were also present at the event.
Oramas conveyed how artificial intelligence can pose a “risk” yet also serve as “a powerful resource that can benefit everyone.” She emphasised the aim of this congress towards ensuring public health is “at the forefront” of this emerging reality, stating, “it is no longer a distant future but a present-day occurrence.”
From the University of Alcalá, the director for external entities, María Teresa del Val, highlighted the “timely” nature of this event, addressing a significant technological advancement. In this context, referring to the notion that “the US investigates, China legislates, and Europe follows,” she spoke of the necessity to “establish order” within this new tool so that it aids health professionals in their daily operations from a constructive perspective.
“The Canary Islands can lead AI in the health sector. The Canary Islands ought to be a pioneer and indeed can be,” she asserted.
Fernando Clavijo also accentuated the ongoing AI projects within the archipelago, particularly those aimed at making health operations “far more efficient.” He underscored efforts focused on the detection of diabetic retinopathy, preventive measures related to cardiological admissions, and the assessment of bone age, which is crucial amidst the ongoing immigration crisis involving minor arrivals in the Canaries.
Carmen Mateo, director of the Centre for Public Policies and Government Studies (CEPPYG), highlighted her centre’s work. With 18 years of experience, it endeavours to “share” pivotal knowledge concerning the most pressing issues available to the political class, bearing the responsibility to “enhance the lives of citizens through their efforts.”
Advancements in the Canary Islands
“The Canary Islands have emerged as a national benchmark in the advancement of artificial intelligence. We possess our own hardware; we do not depend on external sources for development, and we have the human capital capable of training intelligence, as exemplified by our Retinography Bots,” stated the Deputy Minister of Health and director of the SCS, Carlos Díaz, when speaking to the media.
This level of AI implementation within the SCS extends even to its most ‘bureaucratic’ aspects, employing this tool in administrative contracting processes to establish a new model that provides “more efficient and faster workflows.”
“That bot is currently undergoing tests. We anticipate that in three to four months it will be operational in certain hospitals,” added Díaz. He also highlighted another recent advancement from the SCS, the unified medical history viewer, being progressively introduced across health centres in the Canary Islands for “increased productivity and reduced errors.”
Additionally, Fernando Gutiérrez, scientific director of the Institute of Health Research of the Canary Islands, underscored the projects currently underway at the research centre. Essentially, these initiatives apply algorithms to facilitate personalised medicine, not only in selecting appropriate treatments but also in diagnosing new conditions.
“At present, there are projects enabling the prediction of which patients are likely to develop certain pathologies compared to those without specific markers, thereby allowing us to identify them through various artificial intelligence screenings,” he elaborated.
Furthermore, these initiatives focus on three key areas: oncology, rare diseases, and ophthalmology. Most, as stated, assist in being “more discerning” in recognising particular markers indicative of certain pathologies by utilising image-based data.
Consequently, they are developing a project for the early diagnosis of colon cancer, which improves the detection of smaller polyps with enhanced sensitivity. Moreover, they have another initiative for identifying macular degeneration, a condition affecting vision, which enables the identification of damage occurring in the eye long before an ophthalmologist does.
