Insights

In a recent article, ABC News examines the range of emotions Australians are experiencing as artificial intelligence (AI) quickly shifts from a novelty to a necessity. This serves as both a reminder of the challenges ahead and a reaffirmation of MiKare Health's fundamental belief: that technology in health must always prioritise the people it serves.

What Australians Are Saying

Insights shared through the ABC feature reflect a broad mix of curiosity and concern:

• Many workers fear their roles are changing or even vanishing as AI handles more complex tasks once considered impossible.
• Students, teachers, and families feel uneasy about the use of AI in therapy, education, and healthcare, where trust and human care are vital.
• And while efficiency is appealing, real questions remain: Who governs AI? Who decides what's ethical? And do those choices truly reflect human values?

Understanding the Significance for Healthcare and Wellness

MiKare witnesses firsthand the pressure on the healthcare system, with rising chronic illnesses, limited resources, and fragmented communication. AI holds great promise: to keep patients engaged, to summarise clinical notes, and to coordinate families and care teams. However, technology only functions effectively if it is designed with people, not for them. Introducing AI without understanding personal perspectives, cultural contexts, and shared values risks repeating past mistakes: injustice, exclusion, and harm.

It's time to translate clinical ideas like autonomy into language that patients can feel and understand, and to ensure they are being listened to, involved, and able to shape their own care journey.

Distinctive Features of MiKare

• We begin with you, not the algorithm. The main question is: How does this enable you, strengthen your voice, and enhance your wellbeing?
• We link innovation to tangible real-world outcomes. Because in health, life, and trust are essential.
• We embed values of inclusion, transparency, and accountability. AI should never replace care; it should enhance it.

A Call to the Health and Care Sectors

The ABC article serves as a timely wake-up call: the public is paying attention. They are asking, "What will this mean for me?"

At MiKare, we believe that every patient and professional deserves clear answers and genuine involvement.

Let's work together to:

• Create AI tools that are accessible and supportive, rather than alienating.
• Ensure that individuals are involved in design, governance, and monitoring.
• Use better data not only for efficiency but also for safer care and fairer outcomes.

Shaping the Future Together

The rise of AI isn't something happening to us; it's something we must shape together. For all those connected to health (patients, clinicians, carers, families), the real question is: What sort of future are we choosing to create?

MiKare chooses a path where your voice takes centre stage. Where better data results in safer care. Where fairness, inclusion, and human-centred design form the foundation of every solution.

Let's shape the future of health — together.

Initially scheduled for publication by December 2024, the report's findings remain unpublished as of August 2025. When pain becomes an everyday burden, swift action is essential.

Beyond the Waiting Game

This pause extends beyond delays caused by locked folders or administrative sluggishness; it reveals a deeper issue rooted in a system that has long ignored women's pain. The inquiry was established to shed light on the persistent gender pain gap: a troubling divide where women experience chronic pain more often but receive prompt or adequate care less frequently.

Accounts from the 12,000 participants in the investigation revealed a recurring pattern of misdiagnoses, prejudice, and emotional neglect. Women whose symptoms were dismissed as 'psychological', enduring prolonged hardships, trusted the system but were ultimately disappointed by it.

Why the Delay Hurts

Each month that passes without action worsens the hardship faced by women suffering silently, obstructing policy initiatives, delaying updates in medical education, and hindering the development of more comprehensive care approaches. As a prominent supporter states:

Enduring pain is neither just nor normal, and each delay reinforces this abnormality, making it even more difficult to break free.

MiKare Health's Perspective

Our belief is that healthcare systems should adapt to the pace of human needs, rather than being limited by bureaucratic schedules. Tools such as open access to health information, symptom monitoring, and seamless communication are more than features; they act as vital support, especially when traditional care pathways encounter obstacles.

We call on Victorian health authorities to prioritise transparency and clear scheduling. Release the results publicly. Take the necessary actions. Ensure that healthcare is not only clinical but also equitable and timely.