KARACHI: The Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) has secured a major multi-year grant from the Gates Foundation to establish Pakistan’s first nationally coordinated Artificial Intelligence (AI) Hub, with an initial flagship focus on maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH), one of the country’s most pressing public health priorities.
The initiative, supported by Mubarik Imam, Advisory Board member at the Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering (SBASSE) at LUMS, aims to serve as a long-term national platform that will gradually expand to address broader development challenges across Pakistan.
The National AI Hub brings together LUMS and Aga Khan University (AKU) in a strategic partnership to tackle critical gaps in maternal and child healthcare. LUMS will leverage its expertise in artificial intelligence, language technologies, gender and technology research, and digital public health innovation, while AKU will contribute clinical expertise, develop maternal health datasets, and support field testing and evaluation of AI-driven interventions.
The Hub is designed to enable the development and scaling of AI-based healthcare solutions tailored to underserved populations, using predictive analytics to improve prevention, early diagnosis, and continuity of care at a national scale.
The initiative will be led by Dr. Maryam Mustafa, Associate Professor of Computer Science at SBASSE, LUMS, with Professor Fyezah Jehan, Chair of the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health at AKU, collaborating on clinical design and implementation. The Hub will also engage government stakeholders, clinicians, researchers, policymakers, and innovators to strengthen diagnosis, clinical decision-making, referral systems, and continuity of care for women and newborns.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Maryam Mustafa termed the initiative a milestone for Pakistan, stating that the Hub is being launched with a focus on maternal and child health due to the urgent need and potential for immediate impact, while envisioning a broader, responsible AI platform for multiple sectors in the future.
Mubarik Imam highlighted the transformative potential of the initiative, stating that limited access to specialist healthcare continues to contribute to preventable maternal and child deaths, and that AI can help democratize medical knowledge for frontline health workers across remote regions of Pakistan.
Pakistan continues to face high maternal and neonatal mortality rates, with maternal mortality estimated at 186 deaths per 100,000 live births. Key challenges include limited access to quality healthcare services, shortage of skilled health professionals, weak referral systems, delayed management of complications, and barriers related to language, literacy, and fragmented health data systems.
The AI Hub aims to address these challenges by deploying ethical, evidence-based, and locally relevant AI tools within existing health systems. These include AI-enabled risk prediction models, decision-support systems for healthcare workers, multilingual and speech-based tools, and improved referral and follow-up mechanisms.
The initiative builds on earlier work led by Dr. Maryam Mustafa under the Grand Challenges project “Awaaz-e-Sehat,” which demonstrated the use of voice-enabled electronic record systems to support frontline health workers in low-resource settings.
Beyond its initial MNCH focus, the AI Hub is envisioned as a national platform for responsible AI innovation, contributing to capacity building, policy development, governance frameworks, and support for startups working at the intersection of AI and social impact. The initiative also aligns with Pakistan’s commitments to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in reducing maternal and neonatal mortality.
With this development, Pakistan joins a small group of countries establishing nationally coordinated AI platforms for public-sector impact, alongside similar initiatives supported by the Gates Foundation in Rwanda, Nigeria, Senegal, and Kenya.
LUMS is widely recognized as one of Pakistan’s leading higher education institutions, known for excellence in research, interdisciplinary learning, and public engagement. The Aga Khan University, established in 1983, is an internationally recognized institution dedicated to improving quality of life through education, healthcare, and research.
