Medical experts from the Mapúa University School of Medicine underscored the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) and sustainability in shaping modern healthcare during a recent TEDxMakati event.

Dr. Malaya Santos, founding dean of the Mapúa School of Medicine and a fellow of the Philippine Dermatological Society, said AI can help fulfill the shared goal of health workers and the World Health Organization (WHO) to expand access to quality care and reduce health inequity.

Santos noted that the healthcare system remains burdened by poverty and limited financial protection, which contribute to preventable illnesses and loss of life.

“Poverty drives health inequity. And as 21st-century educators, our job is to teach medicine as the art of caring for the sick, while advocating for basic rights and stronger health systems,” Santos said. She emphasized that AI can enhance medical education through personalized learning tools such as virtual patients and augmented reality simulations.

However, she stressed the need to center technology on human values. “If AI has the power to bridge the workforce gap, improve access, and help us solve the world’s most pressing healthcare problems, then by all means, we must use it for the greater good,” she added.

Meanwhile, Dr. Jake Bryan Cortez, head of the Medical Education Unit, highlighted the concept of planetary health, emphasizing the links between environmental degradation and human illness.

“To be healthy in the 21st century is no longer just personal, it is planetary,” Cortez said. He urged healthcare workers to promote sustainability in hospitals, clinics, and communities.

“It is time for doctors and health professionals to expand the circle of care,” he added.