Release date : 5/05/2026
AZ Delta builds a secure AI infrastructure for predictive healthcare applications. Predictive AI based on data from the electronic patient record, within a sovereign cloud environment by Inetum
AZ Delta, one of the largest hospitals in West Flanders, has positioned itself for years as a frontrunner in innovation. The hospital is strongly committed to actively leveraging existing healthcare data – including complex and unstructured information – to develop predictive artificial intelligence from the ground up. This approach enables faster and more accurate risk assessments for patients, better disease progression forecast, and treatment pathways that are more precisely tailored to each individual situation.
Data as the starting point
At the heart of AZ Delta’s strategy lies the electronic patient record (EPR). AZ Delta considers data a strategic pillar for medical innovation. In addition to structured data such as diagnoses, laboratory results and medication, the hospital also has a large volume of unstructured data at its disposal: free-text clinical notes from physicians, medical images, and other contextual information that is crucial for clinical interpretation.
From experimentation to predictive AI
Alongside working with off-the-shelf or generic AI solutions, AZ Delta also develops AI models that are built on its own data and clinical reality. These models are fundamentally designed from the ground up and are explicitly predictive in nature. They aim to support physicians in assessing risks, predicting disease evolution and refining treatment pathways for patients.
A sovereign private cloud as a prerequisite
To sustainably realize these ambitions, AZ Delta is working with technology partner Inetum on the development of a sovereign private cloud environment for healthcare data. This infrastructure creates the necessary conditions to process sensitive medical data within a strictly controlled framework, with full control over data and governance.
Such an environment also makes it possible to develop AI models without the need for systematic anonymization or pseudonymization of data. This opens up new opportunities for the RADar learning and innovation center, which will further build on these capabilities.
“At AZ Delta, we believe that the future of healthcare lies in the smart and secure use of our own data. By investing in a sovereign cloud environment and developing predictive AI, we are creating powerful applications that support physicians. In doing so, we are taking an important step toward more personalized and proactive care for our patients,” says Peter De Jaeger, CIO of AZ Delta..
Ecosystems around data and healthcare
The hospital’s technological choices fit within a broader vision. AZ Delta aims to continue actively contributing to healthcare ecosystems in which hospitals, primary care providers, research institutions and technology partners collaborate around data and innovation, with a focus on reusability and scalability for the healthcare sector.
“Healthcare institutions like AZ Delta demonstrate what becomes possible when technology truly serves care,” says Thomas Breuer, General Manager of Inetum Belgium. “What makes this journey unique is the combination of innovation ambition and ecosystem thinking. Our role is to help create a secure, future-ready data and AI environment in which hospitals like AZ Delta can gradually achieve their vision.”
Better care as the ultimate goal
By valorizing unstructured data, fundamentally building predictive AI models, and investing in a sovereign cloud environment, AZ Delta is advancing data-driven healthcare innovation, with better care as the ultimate goal.
About AZ Delta
AZ Delta is one of the largest general hospitals in West Flanders, with multiple campuses and a strong regional presence. The hospital is known for its broad range of healthcare services and its clear ambition to combine quality, innovation and patient-centered care. Through its RADar learning and innovation center, AZ Delta actively invests in research, data-driven healthcare and new care models, always in close collaboration with physicians, healthcare professionals, research institutions and external partners. This approach enables the hospital to structurally embed innovation in daily clinical practice and to respond in a targeted way to the healthcare needs of today and tomorrow.