Lunit joins 'Saudi Vision 2030 Healthcare Initiative' with AI tech

Lunit CEO Suh Beom-seok, fourth from left, poses for the photo with officials from Saudi Arabia as he visits Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday. [LUNIT]

Medical AI company Lunit became the first Korean company to participate in Saudi Arabia’s government-led health care project “Saudi Vision 2030 Healthcare Sandbox,” an initiative designed to digitally transform the country’s health care industry.

Lunit announced on Thursday that its participation in the initiative led to signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Seha Virtual Hospital, utilizing the latter’s network of 150 hospitals within the country to provide Lunit’s flagship AI product, Lunit Insight.

Lunit Insight is an AI software that screens X-rays to diagnose 10 different abnormalities in breast and lung cancer.

The signing ceremony will take place on Sunday in Riyadh, with Lunit CEO Suh Beom-seok and Seha Virtual Hopstial’s director of innovation and business development Mohammed Alhamali in attendance.

Seha Virtual Hospital, the world's largest virtual hospital, is a key part of the health care transformation initiative. The hospital provides digital medical services to approximately 480,000 patients annually, supporting 150 hospitals nationwide.

“Our expanded partnership with the Ministry of Health and Seha Virtual Hospital represents a significant step forward in improving the cancer care efforts in the Kingdom,” Suh said in a statement. “By delivering our AI-powered solution, we aim to enable early cancer detection, a pivotal factor in enhancing patient outcomes. Given that Saudi Arabia boasts the largest medical market in the Gulf Cooperation Council, this initiative underscores a meaningful impact on health care in the Middle East, and we eagerly anticipate contributing our expertise to this essential endeavor.”

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]