As part of the CT-Luso Project webinar series, the seventh session took place on 25 June, dedicated to the theme ‘Equity in Access to Health Innovation’. The session brought together participants from the Portuguese-speaking African countries (PALOP) and Portugal to reflect on the ethical, social and scientific challenges associated with equitable access to health innovation, with 70 participants attending online.
The session featured CT-Luso Project Consultant Maria Alexandra Ribeiro, was moderated by Joana Morais, Director-General of the National Institute for Health Research of Angola, and included a presentation by José Miguel Diniz, researcher and specialist in health policy and digital transformation, who focused on the relationship between equity, innovation and artificial intelligence.
During his presentation, José Miguel Diniz stressed that equitable access to innovation depends not only on technological development, but above all on the ability to understand the specific needs of different populations. He argued that health inequalities result from multiple determinants, including social, economic, environmental and demographic factors, making it essential for public policies, research and the development of new technologies to take this diversity into account.
The speaker also highlighted that the growing use of artificial intelligence tools in healthcare requires rigorous validation among the populations for whom they are intended. He warned of the risk that models may reproduce or exacerbate inequalities when they are developed using data that do not adequately represent all population groups, illustrating this issue with examples of clinical applications already in use internationally.
Throughout the session, the need to integrate equity indicators into health system planning was also emphasised, promoting a more detailed understanding of populations and their health determinants in order to guide interventions that are fairer, more effective and better adapted to different realities.
Concluding his presentation, José Miguel Diniz stressed that equity should be regarded as a structuring objective of health policies, noting that innovation only has a meaningful impact when it is accessible and relevant to everyone, regardless of their social, economic or geographical circumstances.
The session concluded with a discussion among participants, reinforcing the importance of continuing to promote spaces for sharing and reflection on the challenges of health innovation in Portuguese-speaking countries.
