2025-4-2

Taiwan's International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF), in cooperation with University of Pennsylvania in the northeastern U.S., completed a project to integrate artificial intelligence into Somaliland's medical information system earlier this week.

According to the TaiwanICDF, the action was part of the Health Information Management Efficiency Enhancement Project in Somaliland, which flowed from a cooperative agreement signed by the organization's technical mission in the Horn of Africa, University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and Somaliland’s Ministry of Health Development last December.

TaiwanICDF’s technical mission held the responsibility for on-site system development, while Somaliland’s ministry was charged with coordinating hospital testing and system deployment, project manager Mario Lin said. He added that the Wharton School designed the AI algorithms, provided financial support for AI server connectivity and assisted in improving the network speed of the African country’s data centers.

Lin went on to highlight that the new AI function helps medical personnel generate electronic medical records, significantly improving the efficiency of clinical diagnoses and benefiting complex cases where patients require detailed follow-up. The TaiwanICDF added that the achievement is the successful result of a technical cooperation agreement inked between the two governments in 2020.

TaiwanICDF Deputy Secretary General Hsieh Pei-fen said the fund will also develop an AI health assistant function to leverage Taiwan’s expertise in that field to further enhance the quality of Somaliland’s medical services. This initiative aligns with the Diplomatic Allies Prosperity Project proposed by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung, designating smart health care and the health industry as key areas of focus, she added.

Article courtesy of Taiwan Today