Evidence briefing · 3 October 2026
Healthcare AI Governance Gap
From policy commitments to practical patient safeguards
Professor Ameed Khalid Abdul-Hamid
Visiting Professor in Ethics in AI in Healthcare, University of East London
This independent evidence briefing examines published World Health Organization findings on healthcare AI adoption and governance, and proposes practical steps to strengthen patient safeguards.
Among 50 responding countries in the WHO European Region, 64% reported using AI-assisted diagnostics, while 8% reported a dedicated national health AI strategy. These figures relate to data collected between June 2024 and March 2025 and are not worldwide percentages.
- Reported using AI-assisted diagnostics
- 64%
- Reported a dedicated national health AI strategy
- 8%
50 responding countries, WHO European Region · data collected June 2024 – March 2025
The briefing covers accountability, risk classification, local validation, workforce competence, continuing monitoring, incident reporting, authority to suspend unsafe systems, and data security. It also proposes a practical 90-day hospital review.
- Accountability
- Risk classification
- Local validation
- Workforce competence
- Continuing monitoring
- Incident reporting
- Authority to suspend unsafe systems
- Data security
This is an independent synthesis of published evidence with the author’s policy recommendations. It is not an original WHO study or a global country ranking. The absence of a dedicated health AI strategy does not establish the absence of other regulatory protections.
Briefing dated 3 October 2026.