The only healthcare simulation conference in Pakistan and East Africa explored how artificial intelligence and immersive technology are reshaping health training and patient safety.
KARACHI: The Aga Khan University’s (AKU) Centre for Innovation in Medical Education (CIME), Karachi, has hosted SIMPACT 2026, a conference that placed artificial intelligence at the centre of discussions on how healthcare professionals are trained.
According to an official statement issued by the university on Thursday, SIMPACT is the only healthcare simulation conference in Pakistan and East Africa, connecting clinicians, educators, leaders, innovators and students from both regions in real time.
This year’s theme, “Simulation Reimagined: AI & Beyond”, explored how artificial intelligence, immersive technologies, analytics and next-generation learning systems are reshaping health training and, ultimately, patient safety.
The conference included pre-conference workshops, more than 80 research presentations and keynote talks, alongside exhibits of home-grown innovations and the latest industry displays in healthcare simulation technology.
The programme also featured a keynote address by Professor Thomas Thesen, Director of the AI and Digital Health Curriculum at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, and two panel discussions on future directions for AI in healthcare.
A central highlight was SIMVENTION, an exhibition of locally developed, AI-powered healthcare technology and software reflecting the breadth of innovation emerging from Pakistan.
Shortlisted projects included an Urdu-English talking avatar for medical training, a culturally sensitive chatbot for adolescent reproductive health, and an AI-assisted tuberculosis screening pipeline.
Professor Atta-ur-Rahman, Professor Emeritus at the University of Karachi and former Chairman of the Higher Education Commission, said AI was already transforming healthcare.
“Artificial intelligence is already transforming healthcare, from drug discovery and medical diagnosis to precision medicine and patient care,” he said. “The pace of this change means we must also rethink how we educate and prepare the healthcare professionals of tomorrow. Simulation provides an important environment for developing the skills, judgement and adaptability needed to navigate this rapidly evolving landscape.”
Chief Guest Dr Dabeer Ahmed Khan, Special Assistant to the Minister for Health and Population Welfare, Government of Sindh, linked the conference’s theme to the province’s hospital expansion.
“Every hospital we build in Sindh is only as strong as the workforce trained to run it,” he said.
Khan said simulation and artificial intelligence were playing an increasingly important role in building a future-ready healthcare workforce, giving professionals the skills, confidence and experience needed to deliver safe, high-quality care. He added that upgrading these skills to improve treatment in public sector hospitals was the vision of Sindh Health and Population Welfare Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho.
As the largest simulation centres in their respective regions, AKU’s CIMEs in Karachi and Nairobi continue to lead the transformation of health education through simulation, the university said.
“CIME has always been focused on using simulation to address the real challenges facing healthcare education and practice,” said Dr Faisal Ismail, Conference Chair and Regional Director, CIME South Asia. “SIMPACT creates a space where ideas, evidence and innovation can be shared across institutions and borders.”
Dr Ismail said the organisers firmly believe technology and simulation are powerful tools for teaching and training healthcare staff in Pakistan, and are essential to promoting patient safety and improving the quality of care provided to patients.
Simulation allows trainees to practise procedures and emergency responses on manikins, virtual patients and scenarios before treating real people. Adding AI to that mix, whether through conversational avatars or automated feedback, raises the prospect of more realistic training at lower cost, though it also brings new questions about validation and oversight.
The push mirrors a wider interest in AI across Pakistan’s health and education sectors. In Punjab, the government has approved a pilot for an AI-powered multi-disease scanner, expanded medical training cooperation with Chinese institutions, and moved to make AI a compulsory subject in public schools.
With its two-city hybrid format and its focus on AI as both a subject of study and a tool for simulation itself, SIMPACT 2026 spotlighted advancements taking place in Pakistan’s healthcare education, training and practice.
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