UK's TPP launches high-tech AI initiative to improve global healthcare

TPP Directors Yeh Hui-chi (middle) and Ankit Sharma (right) were presented an "Excellence in Innovation in Healthcare Industries" award by Xu Huaiyu, a professor of the Shanghai Advanced Research Institute at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, during the International Conference on Image, Video Processing and Artificial Intelligence in Shanghai last week. The company also won another award as "Outstanding Innovator of the Year" at the event. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Using the electronic health records held on its database, with patient consent, TPP has built a big data platform.

This large-scale, high quality information is used for research, public health surveillance and analytics.

The availability of more data than ever before has enabled the company to develop national-scale solutions to alleviate the pressure on the healthcare system, including the challenges posed by a population living longer, and with more long-term conditions.

Always at the forefront of technology, Hester is looking toward machine learning and AI, and the company is now developing intelligent analytic tools that will be able to use and learn from medical data.

These will be applied to assist with the growing problems facing healthcare, such as the early detection of cancers and effective management of other diseases for individuals and whole populations.

Not only could this be used to help clinicians make timely diagnosis and health services to use their resources efficiently, AI will also be able to empower citizens to manage their own care through apps and wearable devices.

The early version of their AI shows indications that it will be able to aid doctors in diagnosing ovarian cancer, and they are initially hoping to replicate these results for three other common cancers.

TPP said it is working on these technologies with a global outlook, committed to making a real difference to citizens around the world to improve the healthcare they receive.

In the UK, the company has worked closely with the NHS for 20 years and has been an integral part of many government-led projects.

TPP is also working closely with government bodies in China and the Middle East to align with national and international health policies.

TPP has been working in China since 2013. Their strategic direction is aligned with the government's healthcare policies. This includes improving primary care services, as services in the community providing a first point of contact in the healthcare system reduces the burden on China's hospitals.

The UK brand is also working on providing integrated services, so healthcare settings in a community can provide person-centered, coordinated care to individuals and their family.

Over the past five years, TPP has worked closely with medical professionals in China to develop a solution that is tailored to the China market.

So far, TPP has been working on a number of projects across China, with its smart healthcare technology empowering clinicians and citizens in both rural and developed regions, according to the company.

"At TPP, we work hard to ensure our solutions are flexible and address real-life problems that people face right across the world," Hester said. "I hope that with my talented and dedicated team, we can provide the highest quality systems and innovative technology to meet the needs of Chinese citizens, whilst helping to meet the goals of Healthy China 2030."

As the country's first national-level medium-to long-term strategic plan for health and well-being, the Healthy China 2030 initiative, which was announced in 2016, forecasts that by 2020, the total scale of healthcare-related sectors in China will top 8 trillion yuan ($1.2 trillion).