In Brussels, the Minister for Health and Active Ageing Jo Etienne Abela participated in the ‘European Cancer Imaging Initiative’ meeting during which innovations integrating artificial intelligence into the radiology service were discussed.
Also participating in the meeting were Dr Melvin D’Anastasi, Acting Director of the Department of Medical Imaging at Mater Dei Hospital and Dr Kelvin Cortis, Medical Director at Mater Dei Hospital.
During the meeting, it was announced that Malta has been allocated funds from the ‘EU4Health’ programme to participate in the ‘BreastScan’ project. This project will last four years and will involve twenty entities from nine different European countries.
Minister Abela welcomed the news and explained that over a million mammograms, ultrasounds, and MRI scans, from 7,500 confirmed cases of breast cancer, will be included in this project. This is with the aim of collecting data that will be submitted to a tool that works based on artificial intelligence. Minister Abela reiterated that this project is crucial because it leads to accurate diagnosis in a short time and timely action being taken that leads to improved outcomes for patients. “AI in radiology is expected to save lives through accurate diagnosis that leads to personalized care,” concluded Minister Abela.
Photo: MHA.
