Qatar
Qatar researchers develop AI platform to transform maternal healthcare
A group of researchers from Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) has developed an artificial intelligence-powered platform aimed at making maternal and foetal healthcare more efficient, consistent and accessible by bringing ultrasound analysis, clinical knowledge, decision support and medical reporting together in a single system.
AI Scholar MaternaCare, developed by HBKU’s College of Science and Engineering (CSE), uses AI to analyse foetal ultrasound images, identify anatomical structures and extract clinically relevant measurements and indicators. MaternaCare recently secured second place in the Ghain Mena Scale-Up Award and a $17,500 grant, providing additional support for its transition from research innovation towards clinical application.
The researchers involved in the project are: Dr Mowafa Househ, Professor; Dr Marco Agus, associate professor; Dr Mahmood AlZubaidi, post-doc researcher and Dr Zain Tariq, post-doc researcher, all from College of Science and Engineering, HBKU.
"MaternaCare is designed to support doctors rather than replace them, with clinicians retaining responsibility for reviewing AI-generated information and making final decisions based on each patient’s individual circumstances,” said Dr Househ. By providing an additional layer of analytical support, MaternaCare could help clinicians identify structures, measurements and potential indicators that may warrant closer attention, while also reducing the time spent on repetitive documentation.
The platform then combines these findings with evidence-based medical knowledge to provide structured information that can assist healthcare professionals in interpreting results and preparing clinical reports. "For expectant mothers and their families, the potential impact is more consistent and timely care. MaternaCare is being developed as an end-to-end clinical informatics and decision-support platform rather than simply an AI tool that analyses ultrasound images,” explained Dr Househ.
Its capabilities include AI-assisted foetal ultrasound analysis, anatomical segmentation and measurements, foetal assessment support, image-quality enhancement, evidence-based clinical intelligence, automated and structured medical reporting, explainable AI outputs, and maternal-health education and awareness.
A key element of MaternaCare is the incorporation of responsible-AI safeguards, including human oversight, privacy and security mechanisms, auditability, performance monitoring and assessment of potential bias across different patient populations, institutions and ultrasound equipment. "These safeguards are particularly important because the technology is intended to operate in clinical environments where AI-generated information can contribute to medical decision-making. The project forms part of the broader HikmaTech research ecosystem at HBKU, which explores AI-based approaches to knowledge discovery, healthcare and education,” highlighted the researcher.
Rather than focusing solely on automation, the initiative seeks to use AI to help healthcare professionals manage complex information, reduce repetitive work and make relevant evidence more readily available at the point of care. "The next stage of MaternaCare is expected to focus on expanding its imaging capabilities and integrating them more closely with clinical decision support, evidence-based reasoning, automated reporting and responsible-AI safeguards.
An important part of the scale-up will be testing the platform in real healthcare environments to assess not only technical performance but also usability, workflow integration, clinical relevance and safety across different users and ultrasound equipment,” continued Dr Househ.
The researchers have adopted a phased approach to deployment, with clinical validation, governance, privacy, safety and institutional requirements taking priority over a fixed public launch date. "Healthcare AI, particularly when technology contributes information to clinical decision-making, requires safety, validation, governance, privacy and clinician acceptance,” the researchers said, stressing that the objective is to develop a system that can be deployed responsibly and sustainably in real clinical settings.
Qatar could serve as an important testing and development environment for the technology, given its digital infrastructure, research ecosystem and healthcare institutions. For the country, MaternaCare could contribute to building locally developed expertise in AI-enabled maternal healthcare, improving clinical workflow efficiency and providing an environment for evaluating responsible AI in real healthcare settings.
The researchers also see significant potential across the Middle East and North Africa, where healthcare systems differ in terms of specialist availability, resources, equipment and access to advanced medical services. The longer-term vision is to validate the technology in Qatar while building regional adaptability and scalability into its design from the outset.