KARACHI: Speakers at a conference held on Thursday highlighted how artificial intelligence, immersive technologies, analytics, and next-generation learning systems are reshaping health training and patient safety.
Hosted by Aga Khan University’s Centre for Innovation in Medical Education (CIME), SIMPACT 2026 was the only healthcare simulation conference in Pakistan and East Africa, connecting clinicians, educators, leaders, innovators, and students from both regions in real time.
This year’s theme was “Simulation Reimagined: AI & Beyond”.
A central highlight of the conference was SIMVENTION, an exhibition of locally-developed, AI-powered healthcare technology and software reflecting the breadth of innovation emerging from Pakistan.
Shortlisted projects included an Urdu-English talking avatar for medical training, a culturally sensitive chatbot for adolescent reproductive health and an AI-assisted tuberculosis screening pipeline.
“Artificial intelligence is already transforming healthcare, from drug discovery and medical diagnosis to precision medicine and patient care,” said Prof Atta-ur-Rahman, Professor Emeritus at Karachi University and former Chairman of the Higher Education Commission.
“The pace of this change means we must also rethink how we educate and prepare the healthcare professionals of tomorrow. Simulation provides an important environment for developing the skills, judgement and adaptability needed to navigate this rapidly evolving landscape.”
“Every hospital we build in Sindh is only as strong as the workforce trained to run it,” said chief guest Dr Dabeer Ahmed Khan, Special Assistant to the provincial health minister.
“In this day and age, it is essential to building a future-ready healthcare workforce — where simulation and artificial intelligence play an increasingly important role in preparing healthcare professionals with the skills, confidence and experience they need to deliver safe, high-quality care,” he said.
In his remarks, Dr Faisal Ismail, Conference Chair, and Regional Director, CIME South Asia, said SIMPACT created a space where ideas, evidence and innovation could be shared across institutions and borders.
“We firmly believe that technology and simulation are powerful tools for teaching and training of healthcare staff in Pakistan, and are essential to promote patient safety and improve the quality of care provided to patients.”
The programme also featured a keynote address by Prof Thomas Thesen, Director of the AI and Digital Health Curriculum, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, alongside two panel discussions on future directions for AI in healthcare.
With its two-city hybrid format and its focus on AI as both a subject of study and a tool for simulation itself, SIMPACT 2026 spotlighted the advancements that are taking place in Pakistan and healthcare education, training, and practice.
The conference included pre-conference workshops, more than 80 research presentations, keynote talks and exhibits of home-grown innovations as well as the latest industry exhibits in healthcare simulation technology.
Published in Dawn, September 18th, 2026
