Monday, 25 May 2026
Egypt pioneers AI-based breast cancer screening in Middle East
In a landmark step for women’s health and medical technology in the Middle East, Egypt has unveiled its first fully Egyptian-developed artificial intelligence (AI) system for the early detection of breast cancer.
The innovative platform, launched at Baheya Hospital in Sheikh Zayed City, was the result of a collaborative effort between Ministry of Communications and Information Technology’s Applied Innovation Centre and the leading nonprofit Baheya Foundation, which provides free breast cancer screening and treatment for women across the country.
This state-of-the-art AI system is the first of its kind in the region, marking a significant breakthrough both in health care and technological self-reliance.
Utilising sophisticated AI algorithms to analyse mammogram images, the platform provides highly accurate preliminary diagnoses, boasting an accuracy rate of around 90 per cent. This not only streamlines routine screenings but also promises to reduce treatment costs and improve recovery rates for thousands of women.
Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Amr Talaat, described the launch as a historic moment in applying AI technologies to serve essential societal needs, particularly safeguarding the health of Egyptian women, who are “the backbone of society.”
He highlighted in a statement that the project represents just the first step in what promises to be a fruitful partnership between the innovation center and the Baheya Foundation, and an inspiring model for AI-driven social impact.
Egyptian engineers, data scientists, radiologists, and oncologists worked hand in hand to create a fully integrated system, uniquely tailored for the Egyptian population.
The AI engine was trained on a meticulously annotated database of more than 60,000 mammogram images, ensuring deep understanding of local clinical characteristics. This homegrown approach means the system not only meets, but often exceeds, the performance of imported solutions, offering predictions on the type, location, and malignancy risk of detected lesions.
The platform has been fully integrated into Baheya Foundation’s daily medical workflow. It’s designed for continuous learning: as more cases are analysed and verified, the AI engine refines its methods, ensuring ever-increasing accuracy and responsiveness to patients’ needs.
Over time, this system will benefit tens of thousands of Egyptian women every year, offering peace of mind and a compassionate pathway to early diagnosis, often the key to successful treatment.
Leaders from both the Ministry and Baheya Foundation celebrate this partnership not only as a triumph of technology but also as a testament to the power of cross-sector collaboration.
“We are proud that the Ministry chose the foundation as its partner in such an essential initiative,” said Tamer Shawky, Chairman of Baheya Foundation’s Board of Trustees. “Together, we are helping secure the health and well-being of women all over Egypt, at no cost to them.”
The hope, organisers note, is that this Egyptian achievement will inspire other countries in the region and around the world to invest in local innovation for health care, ensuring every woman, no matter her circumstances, has access to life-saving diagnostic technology.