The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) launched a new initiative on Thursday to upgrade its Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) digital application with artificial intelligence (AI) and a unified health data dashboard.
The initiative is being implemented by the DGHS Management Information System (MIS) wing, with technical and development support from Save the Children Bangladesh and Amazon Web Services (AWS).
DGHS Director General Professor Dr Pravath Chandra Biswas attended the event as chief guest. Additional Director General (Administration) Professor Dr Md Zahid Raihan, Additional Director General (Planning and Development) Professor Dr Foara Tasmim, and Save the Children Bangladesh Country Director Shumon Sengupta attended as special guests.
The session opened with a welcome address by Dr Abu Ahammad Al Mamun, Director of MIS at DGHS.
Speakers said despite Bangladesh’s progress in reducing child mortality, preventable diseases such as pneumonia, sepsis and diarrhea remain among the leading causes of death among children under five.
Launched in 2022, the IMCI digital application has streamlined diagnosis, treatment, counselling and referral for frontline health workers, improving service delivery in government health facilities.
Under the new upgrade, the platform will include AI-powered features, a unified dashboard and a multilingual voice assistant. Officials said the enhancements are expected to improve disease surveillance, strengthen data analysis and support faster and more accurate clinical decision-making.
“We have already seen the application support diagnosis and treatment of childhood illnesses effectively. The integration of artificial intelligence will further simplify and streamline healthcare delivery, particularly in remote areas,” said DGHS DG
Save the Children Bangladesh Country Director Shumon Sengupta said the voice assistant would help healthcare providers ensure faster and more accurate diagnosis through the application.
Presentations were also made on the IMCI digital platform’s background, technical design and implementation roadmap, followed by an open discussion on opportunities and challenges in digital health innovation.
The event concluded with a vote of thanks from Mohammad Omar Faruk, Program Director of Social Transformation and Sponsorship at Save the Children Bangladesh.
The IMCI strategy, developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, is a globally recognized approach aimed at reducing morbidity, mortality and disability among children under five.
Officials said the digital IMCI initiative has already improved data-driven child healthcare delivery in Bangladesh, and the AI-powered upgrade is expected to further strengthen frontline health services and support digital transformation in the sector.
