Alibaba (BABA) is charting a way to push the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in diagnostics and healthcare to make medical treatment more accessible, timely, and affordable. Alibaba Cloud is actively working on AI-powered solutions to tackle heath care problems in China and globally. Here’s a look at Alibaba’s efforts to bring AI to the healthcare arena and why this exercise matters.
The World Health Organization database reveals that the world’s most populous nation, China, has a shortage of physicians with only 1.49 doctors available for every 1,000 people, lower than 2.55 in the U.S., 2.8 in the UK, and 3.37 in australia. There is a further shortage of specialist doctors (such as radiologists and oncologists) despite the huge workload; such mismatches increase the chances of misdiagnosis and wrong treatment.
There is the problem of uneven distribution as well. Despite the advances made in the field of medicine, a high percentage of population faces challenges such as lack of access to health care; 43% of China’s population resides in rural areas, making it difficult for them to have timely access to medical examination.
According to the American Cancer Society, cancer is the leading cause of death in China and is a major public health concern. Not just China, there are several medical problems ailing the society globally. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the world. The number of new cancer cases is expected to rise globally by about 70% over the next two decades as per the WHO update in February 2017. It highlights how late-stage presentation and inaccessible diagnosis and delayed treatment are accentuating the problem. This is where advancement in technology combined with medicine can make a difference.
One major step in the direction has been the launch of ET Medical Brain by Alibaba Cloud in March 2017. The ET Medical Brain is a suite of AI solutions designed to ease the workload of medical personnel. The suite basically uses computers to act as virtual assistants for patients and in medical imaging, drug development and hospital management; for instance, development of AI-based tumor diagnosis systems.
Alibaba Health also recently unveiled its first AI service for medical diagnostics called ‘Doctor You,’ which can use imaging in early diagnosis of cancer.
Other projects include the partnership between Alibaba Cloud and Wuhan Landing Medical High-tech Co.
