KARACHI: Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) has introduced an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot in the outpatient department (OPD) of its CyberKnife Department to speed up patient assessments, reduce waiting times and improve access to medical care.
The AI chatbot is designed to collect patients’ medical information before they see a doctor, allowing physicians to review their symptoms and medical history in advance. Hospital officials say the initiative is intended to eliminate long queues and make the initial screening process more efficient.
Radiation oncologist Dr. Fatima said patients will first check in at the reception before interacting with the chatbot, which communicates in the patient’s native language.
The system gathers information including the patient’s age, symptoms, medical complaints and relevant health history, asking follow-up questions until it has a clear understanding of the case.
After the interview, the chatbot automatically generates a digital medical report containing the patient’s history, symptoms and a preliminary assessment. The report is then sent electronically to the relevant consultant or specialist before the clinical examination, enabling doctors to provide more informed and efficient care.
The hospital has initially established four dedicated AI consultation rooms, operating daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with plans to expand the service to 24-hour availability in the future.