Nationwide self-testing health centres to be established – Pres Ali

President Dr Irfaan Ali on Thursday announced that self-testing centres will be established in communities across the country in order to improve preventative healthcare.
He made the announcement whilst delivering remarks at an artificial intelligence seminar hosted by the Health Ministry in collaboration with Mount Sinai.
According to the Head of State, citizens can visit these centres to “test your sugar levels and your pressure.”
“We’re going to involve the churches and the mosques and temples in this. So, on a Sunday, when someone goes to church, they can come out and test their sugar levels and test their pressure, and then we can input it into the system. The system collects the data, and we can evaluate how that person is doing,” he explained.
Ali noted that this initiative will play a key role in the modern healthcare system the Government is building.
He said by leveraging artificial intelligence, it will enable continuous monitoring of individuals’ health, allowing for the early identification of risks and the delivery of preventive care, ultimately supporting longer, healthier lives.
Last year, Ali had announced that the Government would be establishing electronic containerised laboratories nationwide. It was reported that these laboratories are part of a strategy to make diagnostic tests more accessible and enable early detection of medical conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.
The labs will be integrated fully into the national health system and will be designed to conduct routine health tests such as blood sugar tests.
A similar initiative is the rollout of two digital systems, the National Health Information System and the Patient Management Information System.
The President had explained that these will help gather data quickly, allowing for early intervention, better diagnoses, and healthier, longer lives for citizens.