As part of its BRICS Presidency in 2025, Brazil has highlighted Artificial Intelligence (AI) in health as a key priority, aiming to boost digital healthcare innovations and improve health system access across BRICS nations. Ana Estela Haddad, Brazil’s Secretary of Information and Digital Health, emphasized that AI is not just a futuristic concept but an ongoing reality, with Brazil’s Unified Health System (SUS) leveraging AI for everything from transcribing medical consultations to using AI algorithms for more accurate diagnoses and health predictions.
Brazil has already implemented AI in various health applications within the SUS, from using AI for diagnosing diseases through patient data analysis to optimizing healthcare services across the country. The Brazilian government has introduced specialized sectors to digitalize health, with some initiatives already receiving recognition from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). These technologies are central to Brazil’s efforts to tackle healthcare challenges, such as improving access to health systems, enhancing patient outcomes, and identifying complex disease patterns more efficiently.
Haddad pointed out that AI is already being used to revolutionize the healthcare sector in Brazil, and the BRICS Summit will serve as a platform to share these innovations. The country plans to present its progress and exchange knowledge with other BRICS members to align standards for health data management, which will contribute to global health goals. The initiative focuses on ensuring data privacy and security while fostering transparency in technological developments within healthcare.
One of the central discussions during Brazil’s BRICS presidency will be to create a joint research platform for digital health and AI technologies. This collaboration aims to enhance the ability of member countries to respond to health emergencies, predict diseases, and optimize health systems. A key goal is to ensure that AI in precision medicine becomes widely accessible by integrating genetic, environmental, and health data to personalize treatments.
Through cooperation, BRICS aims to create an integrated, global platform to support precision medicine and optimize public health responses in real-time. This collaboration could also lead to improved resource allocation, strengthening health systems and increasing equity in healthcare access across member nations.
Brazil’s experience with AI and digital health is integral to advancing global discussions on healthcare transformation. SUS, operational since 1990, provides essential public health services, delivering over 2.8 billion healthcare services annually. The Ministry of Health’s digital transformation efforts, particularly through the Secretariat of Information and Digital Health (SEIDIGI), are designed to expand healthcare access and improve the quality of services for all Brazilians, regardless of location.
Haddad emphasized the Brazilian government’s commitment to AI and digital health development, which will be reinforced by collaboration with the private sector. This partnership focuses on inclusion, equity, and social justice to ensure that the benefits of digital healthcare innovations reach all social and economic groups.
As AI and digital healthcare systems evolve, Brazil’s leadership in integrating these technologies into health systems underscores the country’s growing role in global health innovation. During Brazil’s presidency of BRICS, the goal is not just to advance AI in healthcare but to provide sustainable and equitable solutions to the complex health challenges faced by developing and emerging economies.
By leveraging AI, Brazil aims to help other BRICS countries to improve their health systems and provide solutions to global healthcare inequities, making AI-powered healthcare solutions a cornerstone of the future of global health.
