Mobilising Artificial Intelligence for Maternal Health in Bangladesh

In 2021, the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) and the Government of Bangladesh launched a project with the support of Google and invited a research team led by IPUR to work with them to investigate the potential for AI applications for maternal health in Bangladesh.

At the heart of the project was a collaborative approach with continuous interaction between the research teams and policy-makers in scoping the research, through data collection and interpretation and application of the findings. 

Over the course of the project, IPUR researchers gathered inputs from a range of stakeholders in the maternal health sector in Bangladesh, including government officials, doctors, academics, non-governmental and international organisations and conducted a wide-ranging documentary review to get a clear picture of the potential benefits and risks of AI adoption in maternal health. Greater insights into this would enable IPUR to develop a foundation for responsible and effective implementation. It would support evidence-based decision-making, more stakeholder collaboration, and public engagement, ultimately contributing to improved maternal health outcomes and patient-centred care.

IPUR also identified initiatives that are already underway in Bangladesh and other countries at a similar level of development, as well as barriers and concerns that need to be addressed before widespread adoption.