The United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS) has decided to 'level-up the healthcare system. As part of these efforts, Sajid Javid, the health secretary confirmed that NHS will use artificial intelligence (AI) to tackle racial inequalities. 

The organisation hopes that this move will benefit numerous minorities living in the UK as AI technology will help transform healthcare and accelerate diagnoses of fatal conditions in time. 

Under these efforts, Javid has green-lit several initiatives that will work towards addressing health disparities in the country by relooking at the healthcare system and data to a certain extent. Projects include designing fresh standards to collect and measure health data and ensuring inclusivity since currently data sets that train AI algorithms are riddled with partial data that lacks representation of minority data. A separate project shall study the factors that give rise to adverse maternal incidents in minority communities through the use of AI. The outcomes can help the health ministry understand the lacunae - the need for staff to undergo training, sensitization towards unique maternal healthcare needs. 

Javid said he was committed to “removing barriers” in the NHS so that “every one of us, no matter our background, can live healthier, longer lives”. The move is welcome as healthcare activists have been citing disparities towards the minorities; these inequalities were further pronounced as the pandemic took an unequal toll on these communities. 

Javid said: “As the first health and social care secretary from an ethnic minority background, I care deeply about tackling the disparities which exist within the healthcare system. As we recover from the pandemic we have an opportunity for change, to level up, and ensure our NHS is meeting the needs of everyone.

“Technology, particularly AI, can be an incredible force for good. It can save valuable clinician time and help provide a faster, more accurate diagnosis, so patients can access the care they need as quickly as possible. It can also help us better understand racial differences so we can train our workforce to look for different symptoms or complicating factors, diagnose faster, and tailor treatments.”

Javid expressed personal dismay at the racial inequalities in healthcare. “It is unacceptable that black women in England are five times more likely to die from complications during childbirth than their white counterparts. AI could help us to better understand why this is the case and ensure black mothers have an equal chance for a healthy life with their newborn.”

NHSX, the digital arm of NHS is leading the initiative under the AI Ethics Initiative which focuses on integrating research and practical integrating AI-driven technologies in healthcare so that there are fewer health disparities. 

Under the initiative, they are looking to introduce improved computer screening for diabetic retinopathy as research has indicated that racial disparities are an issue here too since several minority communities have deeper retinal pigmentation which alters the image and the diagnosis. 

An overarching update of the UK's health data that reflects the population make-up is Javid's priority. “If we only train our AI using mostly data from white patients it cannot help our population as a whole. We need to make sure the data we collect is representative of our nation. This new funding will support the development of a much-needed set of standards to make sure datasets for training and testing AI systems are diverse and inclusive so no one is disadvantaged because of their race,” he said.