Doctors in training in Portugal are now being taught how to work with artificial intelligence as part of a new international programme launched by ABA Technology. The initiative, called Fusion AI for the Future of Health, aims to bring AI into medical education, hospital management and biomedical research.
The programme started at the University of Évora and aims to link medical learning with engineering from the beginning of a doctor’s training. The idea is to combine classroom teaching with real healthcare technology rather than treating AI as a separate tool.
Three specialist hubs
The programme is built around three hubs focused on training, hospital care and research.
The first hub, The Augmented Physician, uses the Medifus Doctors software suite to redesign medical courses. The aim is to train doctors who can supervise and design AI systems, not just use them.
The second hub, The Smart Hospital, uses the Medifus Clinical platform to improve how hospitals run and how patients move through the system. The focus is on using data to help doctors make faster and more accurate decisions.
The third hub, Life Sciences and Research, is led by the Medifus Research Hub. The goal is to reduce the time needed for drug discovery and molecular modelling, supporting personalised medicine.
Mohamed Benouda, President of ABA Technology, says the project is about building stronger healthcare systems and keeping control of health data within institutions.
Focus on health data sovereignty
Governments and universities are becoming more cautious about relying on technology from large global companies. The programme includes an AI Lab for Sovereign Health, allowing institutions to develop their own clinical tools while keeping health data within national and academic systems.
The programme also aims to build trust in medical AI. Medical students are being trained in AI engineering so they can understand and audit the algorithms they use.
The research hub reflects a wider shift in the pharmaceutical industry towards computer-based drug discovery. High-performance computing can simulate how new drugs interact with human proteins, potentially reducing research timelines from years to months.
Portugal was chosen for the first launch because of its growing role as a technology hub and its experience with digital health regulation. The programme is expected to serve as a model for other European and Mediterranean institutions looking to adopt AI in healthcare.
