NEW YORK / RankWire.AI / – Global health leaders emphasized the importance of a country-led methodology for utilizing artificial intelligence in disease elimination efforts during a session at the UN General Assembly in New York. The event assembled health ministers, funders, diagnostics leaders, and public health experts. The Global Institute for Disease Elimination, the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, and Nigeria’s government co-hosted the gathering. Attendees concentrated on how AI can enhance disease surveillance, support health decision-making, and allocate scarce resources to areas of greatest need.
Michael Adekunle Charles, CEO of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, delivered remarks on behalf of Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate. His comments stressed that decisions about how health systems integrate new technologies should be driven by national control. Nigeria is also executing its Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, which covers primary healthcare and local health financing. Participants agreed that AI deployment should be guided by national priorities, health system capacity, and specific local conditions.
The session also reviewed the infrastructure necessary for scaling up AI in public health. Topics included data systems, workforce development, health system integration, and funding models for sustainable programs. The latest malaria assessment by the World Health Organization estimated 282 million cases and 610,000 deaths globally in 2024. The WHO African Region continues to bear the largest share of this burden, with Nigeria reporting the highest estimated number of malaria cases among countries in the region.
AI leadership training programs for public health officials
GLIDE announced two initiatives designed to educate national program managers and public health practitioners on AI. Its Leadership Excellence in AI for Health program targets senior health decision-makers and will take place in Abu Dhabi from January 17 to 22, 2027. The first residential cohort will include 25 to 30 participants. This program emphasizes AI governance, deployment strategies, institutional readiness, and accountability, rather than instructing participants on how to develop AI models.
A second effort, AI for All, was created by Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, in collaboration with GLIDE, and is tailored specifically for public health professionals. This online course includes four modules and does not require any coding skills or technical background. Its curriculum covers fundamentals of AI, generative AI tools, bias, privacy concerns, accountability, and human oversight. The aim is to equip health professionals with practical knowledge for assessing and applying AI within their organizations.
GLIDE and RBM formalize collaboration on malaria control
During the New York session, GLIDE and the RBM Partnership to End Malaria also signed a letter of mutual understanding. This framework links technical expertise, AI innovation, and capacity-building programs with national malaria strategies, focusing on supporting country-led efforts to control and eliminate the disease. The partnership’s objectives align with the World Health Organization’s Global Technical Strategy for Malaria, which aims to cut malaria cases and fatalities worldwide through 2030.
Discussions also covered AI’s role in combating malaria, polio, and neglected tropical diseases amid tightening health and humanitarian budgets. The focus was on strengthening surveillance systems, enabling more targeted interventions, and making the most of existing resources. The organizers highlighted that decisions on technology adoption and implementation should be led by national health authorities. The overarching initiative announced during the UN gathering emphasizes training, technical cooperation, and country-driven leadership as central components to advancing disease control efforts.