At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona (March 3-6), the focus will also be on modern AI-supported IT solutions for the healthcare sector. Gottfried Ludewig, Head of International Health Business at Deutsche Telekom subsidiary T-Systems, explains the importance of European cooperation in the field of healthcare, where Germany stands and gives practical examples.
How important is European cooperation in the healthcare sector?
Mobility in Europe and the world has never been greater than it is at the moment. Diseases and epidemics such as coronavirus (COVID-19) know no borders. Cooperation on health issues therefore makes a lot of sense. We are also experiencing a positive revolution in medical care. Enormous computing power and AI meet an unprecedented amount of data 24/7 through sensor technology and other applications, which will lead to a much better understanding of health and the development of disease. We see that the treatment of cancer and other diseases is becoming more individualized. Technology can support doctors better and better - human medicine powered by IT. This revolution requires enormous resources, large amounts of data, data centers that can process it and markets that promote innovation and AI. So if we want to maintain the best medicine and the sovereignty of our healthcare, this will only be possible with much closer European cooperation. The European Health Data Space and a single European digital identity are two examples that show what is possible. But we need to move much faster.
Are other EU countries already further ahead than Germany when it comes to digital healthcare, for example in the use of AI?
Definitely yes. Germany has only been catching up for a few years: with the electronic patient file and the electronic prescription, we are now also making progress in digital healthcare. In Estonia, Denmark and Sweden, for example, electronic patient records have long since been successfully introduced. At the same time: better late than never. AI is helping us to achieve enormous scientific breakthroughs, to explain medicines and how to take or tolerate them very simply and in all languages, or to provide doctors in critical situations with up-to-date information from all available studies worldwide to support their decision-making. We can see and feel from these examples how fundamental things are being optimized.
According to a study by the market research institute Fortune Business Insights, the global market for artificial intelligence in the healthcare sector will grow from around 28 billion US dollars in 2024 to around 491 billion US dollars in 2032, which corresponds to an average annual growth rate of around 43%. These impressive figures not only show the economic importance of AI, but also the extent to which the technology will be used throughout the healthcare system to significantly improve the health or treatment of illness for all of us.
What role does AI play in healthcare in general?
AI is a catalyst for the further development of healthcare systems - worldwide, in Europe and in Germany. It accelerates diagnoses exponentially, enables personalized treatments and makes a significant contribution to relieving the burden on medical staff in times of an omnipresent shortage of specialists. For example, AI-supported systems can analyze large volumes of medical data to identify patterns that indicate illness. In Switzerland, for example, we offer an AI solution called “Prostate.Carcinoma.ai” with our partner FUSE-AI for the early detection of prostate cancer, which reduces misdiagnoses by around 90 percent and reduces the time required per patient by 30 percent. The important thing to remember with all solutions is that AI is an aid. The decision always lies with doctors in consultation with patients.
Many solutions for the healthcare sector will also be on show at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. What can visitors look forward to at the Deutsche Telekom booth?
Health solutions are playing a major role in Barcelona this year. For example, we are presenting the Smart Health Chat developed by T-Systems. An AI-supported solution that can be used in hospitals, among other places. It enables the use of large language models and meets the highest standards of data protection and data security. Smart Health Chat helps doctors, nurses and administrative staff as well as patients. Application scenarios include admission to hospital. The program is used to understand the patient's medical history and also to link it with the patient's existing data so that a person can be treated more quickly. This speeds up and simplifies the admission process enormously. The technology also supports staff in decision-making and administrative work, for example in taking medical histories or creating medical reports.
Another tangible solution is the AI-supported measurement of wounds. This is currently a time-consuming, error-prone and painful procedure for patients. But it is extremely important, as the healing process of wounds must be observed and documented.” Traditionally, a film is placed on the wound and a pencil is used to mark how long and wide the wound still is. Then a photo documentation is taken, which later has to be entered into the patient file. This process takes an average of 15 minutes per case. Our goal is to reduce this time by up to 50 percent with the help of AI.” A photo of the wound is taken with an iPad. The program compares and transfers the changes and transfers the information to the patient file in the hospital information system. These are small use cases, but they make life easier for everyone involved and free up time for personal and personalized medicine.
Deutsche Telekom at the Mobile World Congress from 3-33-2025 to 3-6-2025:
Magenta Keynote streamen
You can follow the "Magenta Keynote" live from Barcelona on March 3 from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. on www.telekom.com/media .
Themenspecial MWC
You can find more information on the individual topics under www.telekom.com/mwc-special.
Visit us – in Barcelona or online
Experience our products and services live. From March 3 to 6, 2025, you will find Deutsche Telekom in Hall 3 at booth 3M31. We look forward to seeing you. All events will be streamed live. Stage program and events: https://mwc.telekom.com/2025
