Saudi Arabia's Seha Virtual Hospital, touted as the largest virtual hospital in the world, has chosen South Korean medical AI company Lunit to deliver AI solutions to support the kingdom's national cancer and tuberculosis screening programme. 

Launched in 2022, Seha Virtual Hospital is a key piece of healthcare innovation under "Saudi Vision 2030." The hospital is providing medical services to 480,000 patients each year.

As part of their partnership, Lunit delivered its chest x-ray image analysis solution, Lunit INSIGHT CXR, and Lunit INSIGHT MMG, its mammography analysis solution, which are now being evaluated for their benefits. 

Following this evaluation, it is expected that the AI solutions will be rolled out later in over 150 medical sites under Seha Virtual Hospital.

WHY IT MATTERS

Based on a press release, Seha Virtual Hospital is looking to integrate Lunit's AI solutions aiming to "offer advanced examinations for patients and enhance the effectiveness of the national cancer screening programme."

Meanwhile, this collaboration also provides Lunit with an opportunity to supercharge its growth in the Middle East.

THE LARGER TREND

Lately, Lunit is reaching out to public health organisations to support national cancer screening initiatives. It joined its first national cancer screening programme last year when it was chosen to supply the Lunit INSIGHT MMG to BreastScreen New South Wales' early breast cancer detection programme, which seeks to screen mammograms of about 350,000 women each year.

The company is also providing the same AI solution to Capio S:t Göran Hospital, one of Sweden's largest private healthcare providers, after securing a three-year deal in June. This partnership is seen to help augment Sweden's cancer screening capability by enabling the analysis of breast images of about 78,000 patients per year.

Meanwhile, the largest healthcare network in the United Arab Emirates, SEHA (not to be confused with Seha Virtual Hospital), also signed a partnership deal with Lunit to try out its chest x-ray and mammography solutions. 

ON THE RECORD

"We are delighted to partner with Seha Virtual Hospital and contribute to the transformation of cancer diagnosis in Saudi Arabia. Given that Saudi Arabia boasts the largest medical market in the Gulf Cooperation Council, our highly promising partnership allows us to tap into this growing market. Through this collaboration, we aim to bring our innovative AI-powered solutions to healthcare providers throughout the Middle East, ultimately improving patient outcomes and making a significant impact on the fight against cancer," Lunit CEO Brandon Suh said in a statement.