The European Commission has published the final report of the study Deployment of AI in Healthcare, prepared by PwC EU Services and Open Evidence. The study confirms that Artificial Intelligence has the potential to transform European healthcare systems by improving efficiency, reducing administrative burdens, freeing up time to care for patients, strengthening diagnosis and treatment, but also stresses that deployment remains limited and uneven across Member States.
The report highlights that AI can support healthcare systems facing rising demand due to ageing populations, increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, workforce shortages and growing costs. AI solutions already in use demonstrate clear benefits in areas such as radiology, oncology and hospital management, and future applications are expected to enable personalised medicine, predictive healthcare and real-time clinical decision-making. They also open prospects of hope for mental health.
At the same time, the study identifies significant challenges that must be addressed. These include fragmented and non-interoperable health data, outdated IT infrastructures, complex and evolving regulatory requirements, limited financing mechanisms, and the absence of systematic assessments of local value.
The European Union is uniquely positioned to lead in the safe, effective, equitable and ethical deployment of AI in healthcare, The report concludes that EU-level action is required to harmonise rules, consolidate funding and establish monitoring frameworks, ensuring that innovation is balanced with the protection of patients’ rights. With the right conditions in place, AI will not replace doctors and nurses, but will empower them to deliver better, more accessible and more sustainable care for all European citizens.
The success of implementing this tool to improve the care and services provided to our citizens requires strong international cooperation – to regulate, to build capacities, and to modernise our healthcare systems. Private hospitals across the EU stand fully ready to contribute to this effort and call on decision-makers to take the next step forward in safeguarding the health of Europeans.
