Laws needed as more AI is used in healthcare, says private hospitals group
PETALING JAYA : A private healthcare interest group has called for laws to govern the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, saying it could result in serious risks if left unchecked.
Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia president Dr Kuljit Singh said without proper regulation, the technology could risk patient data and lead to misuse.
He said AI was already being used in private hospitals for scans, surgeries, and even patient registration.
'As AI is integrated into healthcare, it is vital that safeguards are first established.
'Strong regulatory frameworks must be in place to prevent data breaches and ensure responsible use by all parties,' he said in a statement.
Kuljit also called for a national body to oversee the use of health data and ensure that AI tools are tested for safety and fairness before being used.
He said the lack of such oversight could open the door to cyberattacks or flawed decisions based on bad data.
Separately, he praised the government's decision to roll out AI tools in public health clinics, such as using the technology to cut patient wait times.
He said with AI, the health ministry had managed to reduce wait times to under 30 minutes following its implementation at 56 clinics nationwide.
Kuljit also said the government's use of AI-backed centralised medical records systems allowed it to easily handle millions of prescriptions and vaccination logs.
He said there should be more sharing of such data, including research between public and private hospitals under secure systems to help AI tools learn and improve.
'If we get this right, we can expect to reap the benefits of AI in the next three to five years,' he said.
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