Brunei Launches National AI Initiative to Combat Cardiovascular Disease

During the 2026 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, a significant partnership was announced to tackle cardiovascular disease in Brunei. The Novartis Foundation, the Ministry of Health of Brunei Darussalam, and EVYD Technology will jointly implement an AI- and data-enabled national initiative known as CARDIO4Cities. This program aims to leverage population-scale data and artificial intelligence to identify high-risk individuals and provide targeted interventions, ultimately aiming to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease in the country.

The initiative was showcased in a session titled “Innovating for Social Impact at Scale Through Partnerships and Artificial Intelligence,” co-hosted by the Novartis Foundation, Novo Nordisk, and the World Heart Federation. The discussion featured insights from leaders in digital health innovation, including Mrs. Gong Yingying, Founder and Chairlady of Yidu Tech, and Mr. Marnix van Ginneken, Chairman of the Philips Foundation, moderated by Dr. Ann Aerts, Head of the Novartis Foundation.

Transforming Public Health Systems

Mrs. Gong emphasized that enhancing public health is a systems-level challenge, dependent on the effective integration of technology and cross-sector collaboration. She noted that the launch of CARDIO4Cities in Brunei is a pivotal national deployment, aiming to shift the public health approach from reactive responses to proactive predictions. This initiative seeks to integrate services and move towards precision management based on real-world data.

Cardiovascular disease and other non-communicable diseases account for over 70% of global mortality and are the leading cause of death in Brunei. The healthcare system in the country faces significant pressure, and many nations encounter similar structural barriers that complicate effective prevention. The partnership between the Novartis Foundation, the Ministry of Health, and EVYD Technology aims to establish AI-driven cardiovascular risk stratification across the population, facilitating differentiated intervention pathways.

“A truly resilient system must act before risks fully emerge. This is the national value of data- and intelligence-driven health governance,” said Mrs. Gong.

Leveraging Technology for Health Improvement

The CARDIO4Cities program is built on the technological foundation provided by EVYD, which aims to deliver population-scale health intelligence and create value for pharmaceutical partners. With its proprietary AI engine and extensive real-world evidence infrastructure, EVYD supports drug developers across the research and development lifecycle.

The evolution of BruHealth, Brunei’s national digital health platform, illustrates the potential of technology in public health. Initially created to aid in infectious disease tracking during the pandemic, BruHealth has transformed into a comprehensive health infrastructure. It now enables residents to access their health records, receive personalized AI-generated health guidance, schedule appointments, and monitor wellness indicators, covering over 85% of Brunei’s population.

EVYD will play a crucial role in integrating data and providing analytics to ensure CARDIO4Cities operates effectively at a national scale.

Brunei becomes the first nation to implement CARDIO4Cities across four major cardiovascular risk factors: hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and hyperlipidemia. The program has already been deployed in over 40 cities worldwide, including São Paulo, Dakar, and Ulaanbaatar, with promising results. Data indicates that blood pressure control rates can improve by 3 to 6 times within 15 to 21 months, with reductions in stroke incidence by up to 13% and heart attack rates by as much as 12%.

This collaboration marks a significant advancement in cardiovascular disease prevention in Brunei and sets a new benchmark for non-communicable disease management globally. As the initiative progresses, it is anticipated to enhance Brunei’s public health capabilities, reduce long-term disease burdens, and contribute to the global shift towards intelligent, prevention-oriented healthcare systems.