- CHSC’s can perform 2,000 daily AI X-rays is a 10-fold increase on conventional methods, transforming tuberculosis (TB) detection, intervention and detection to help meet WHO’s ambitious target
- M42’s AIRIS-TB technology detects and highlights the area for the radiologist to review, streamlining the diagnostic process with a sensitivity of 99.73 %
- This AI model has the potential to detect other conditions such as lung cancer, pneumonia, and emphysema
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; 15 October 2024: Following M42’s unveiling of AIRIS-TB, a pioneering AI-powered chest X-ray for tuberculosis (TB) in May 2024, its flagship visa screening center, Capital Health Screening Centre (CHSC), is now able to conduct 2,000 AI-assisted chest X-rays daily to screen for TB – a 10-fold increase compared with traditional methods. TB remains a significant global health concern, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has set ambitious targets to end the TB epidemic by 2030, with screenings playing a crucial role in this strategy. The hallmark symptoms of active TB include a persistent cough, chest pain, coughing up blood and/or phlegm, fever, night sweats, and weight loss.
In response, CHSC has embarked on a groundbreaking initiative to enhance TB screening through the integration of AI technology, which is adopted and supported by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi and the Abu Dhabi Public Health Center through the preparation of regulatory standards that ensure the optimal use of these technologies to obtain accurate and effective results. The revolutionary AI system, which is still in the testing phase and yet to be rolled out fully across CHSC, easily distinguishes between normal and abnormal chest X-rays, flagging any abnormalities for radiologist evaluation with a sensitivity of 99.73 percent. By streamlining the diagnostic process, radiologists can rapidly and accurately detect TB cases, significantly enhancing their efficiency. This improvement reduces the time required for diagnosis. The model was optimized to reduce false negative detections, which can be cleared without human intervention. The results to date show a false negative rate of just 0.26 percent, sensitivity of 99.73 percent, and a workload reduction of 37 percent. The model easily achieves WHO-recommended sensitivity (>90 percent) and specificity compared to conventional methods, enabling earlier detection, intervention and treatment. This not only saves lives but also contributes to advancing global health and well-being.
Ali Al Saffar, Chief Executive Officer of Capital Health Screening Centre, said: “AIRIS-TB is set to be the most active AI system for chest X-rays in the world. With AIRIS-TB’s assistance, this manual workload has been significantly reduced for Radiologists, enabling our team to focus on other areas, setting new benchmarks to help us lead the charge in early detection and treatment. Trained on millions of historical X-rays, the AI model has demonstrated remarkable accuracy, offering renewed hope in achieving a TB-free world for future generations.”
Expanding AI applications
The addition of AI in TB screening at CHSC demonstrates the country’s commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology and sets a precedent for broader applications across the healthcare ecosystem. In 2021, the WHO estimated that the TB incidence rate in the UAE was less than one per 100,000 of the population, significantly lower than the global estimated incidence of 134 per 100,000.
Dr. Andrew Jeremijenko, Medical Director at Capital Health Screening Centre, said: “While the initial focus is on TB, the AI model has the potential to be trained to detect other conditions such as lung cancer, pneumonia, and emphysema. This marks a significant step towards broader applications of AI in healthcare diagnostics.”
M42’s deployment of AI aligns with the tech-enabled global health powerhouse’s broader strategy to leverage data and technology for improved health outcomes. By integrating AI into TB screening, CHSC is enhancing its diagnostic capabilities and positioning itself as a leader in medical AI innovation. The use of advanced technologies like AIRIS-TB at CHSC demonstrates the transformative power of innovation in overcoming the challenges posed by tuberculosis.
To learn more about the AIRIS-TB screening solutions or for more information, please visit: capitalhealth.ae/services/
About Capital Health Screening Centre
Capital Health Screening Centre, an M42 company, offers efficient, streamlined medical screenings for individuals and companies in Abu Dhabi emirate, for residency visas, occupational health certificates, and eligibility for pension and benefits.
Capital Health Screening Centre (CHSC) is committed to innovation of essential services while maintaining government prices, and conveniently provides the choice to book your appointment either through real time appointment-booking systems on the website or a dedicated call center to minimize waiting times. Furthermore, CHSC offers SMS appointment reminders and optional same-day results for residency visa screening, enabling visitors to enjoy a seamless customer experience that ensures promptness, efficiency and high-quality results.
Through streamlining the flow of its services, CHSC has managed to reduce the time taken for visa medical testing to under 30 minutes. The resulting fitness certificate from the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi is available in 48 hours with ‘Standard Package’, in 24 hours with the ‘Fast Track Package’, and on the same day with the VIP service (if the appointment takes place before noon). For ease of access, there are branches at Al Jazira Sports Club and Village Mall, Mussafah in Abu Dhabi city, at Sinaiya in Al Ain and near Ruwais bus terminal in Ruwais city.
In addition, CHSC has introduced innovations to make the employment process easier for companies, such as mobile screening units for groups of 20 to 200 employees. The screening unit visits the business premises at no additional cost and is also fully equipped to provide pre-employment and occupational health screenings directly at the workplace.
About M42
M42 is a first-of-its-kind, global tech-enabled health powerhouse committed to the sustainable future of health. The Abu Dhabi-headquartered company is transforming lives through innovative solutions that are solving the world’s most critical health and diagnostic challenges. By harnessing unique medical and data-centric technologies, including genomics and AI, M42 is delivering the highest level of personalized, precise, and preventative health solutions to impactfully disrupt the global health landscape.
M42 has over 20,000 employees and more than 450 facilities in 26 countries. Established in 2022, following the coming together of G42 Healthcare and Mubadala Health, M42 combines leading health technologies with state-of-the-art healthcare facilities to deliver world-class health solutions, services and care.
The M42 group includes Diaverum, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Imperial College London Diabetes Centre and Moorfields Eye Hospital Abu Dhabi, among others.