Alvis Lo calls AI a ‘helpful tool’ in medical care

The director of the Health Bureau (SSM), Alvis Lo, has said that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) has helped local medical staff perform several medical procedures, calling it a “helpful tool.”

Lo was speaking at the Legislative Assembly yesterday, where a Q&A session between lawmakers and government officials was held on several topics.

Noting that AI is helpful in several medical procedures, Lo said, for example, that Macau has more than 40,000 people with diabetes who require annual retinal screening.

“The city has adopted AI-assisted technology for these screenings, tripling its annual screening capacity and reducing the examination time per case from 15 minutes to just two minutes, significantly improving efficiency,” he said.

Lo added that the SSM has a plan to progressively introduce more AI tools and expand their use in additional areas.

Among these new features and uses, Lo said that SSM wants to add AI-powered features to the health management section of “My Health” in the Macao One Account mobile application that would, among other functions, allow users to take a photo of a food item to learn about its characteristics and estimated calorie content and nutritional value.

The SSM director noted that local laws have specific provisions governing the use of AI in the medical and health sector, stating that, for medical purposes, it may be used only as an aid to clinical diagnosis and cannot be used for the automated performance of medical procedures or clinical decision-making. He remarked that if any medical error occurs, healthcare professionals are accountable for such errors.

He added that he believes AI can effectively support the development of the medical profession but will not replace healthcare professionals.

On the same matter, the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, O Lam, added that AI ethics and governance are particularly important topics of discussion, especially in the context of AI and healthcare. O Lam said she believes the issue warrants a thorough investigation and study from both perspectives, and agreed that a strict regulatory framework should be established to prevent malpractice and misuse.

The matter was raised through an initial oral inquiry submitted by lawmakers Lei Wun Kong and Kou Kam Fai, calling for a “healthy” AI development strategy in Macau.

The inquiry had a particular focus on AI applications in healthcare.

In response, O Lam said the government is actively expanding “AI+” applications, focusing on three key areas including upgrading healthcare services, advancing the digital transformation of industries, and cultivating professionals with interdisciplinary expertise.

She also stated that the government plans to introduce two new AI-related master’s degree programs starting in the 2027-28 academic year. The first is dedicated to biological AI, and the other to intelligent medical engineering.