NEW DELHI, July 19: Artificial intelligence has the potential to revolutionise individualised healthcare, prediction and diagnosis, and also medical education, NITI Aayog member (health) Dr VK Paul said on Friday.
He was speaking at the Confederation of Indian Industry’s 3rd Digital Health Summit, themed on ‘Leveraging AI for Improving Health Outcomes’.
The age of artificial intelligence (AI) in digital health has arrived, presenting immense potential across various use cases, Paul said.
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He also highlighted the potential for AI to revolutionise medical education and professional development pathways, suggesting that AI could enhance decision-making processes for physicians, from diagnostic testing to treatment plans.
This event brought together key stakeholders from the healthcare industry, government and technology sectors to explore the transformative potential of AI in healthcare.
Crucial topics such as improvements in care delivery, ethical implementation and responsible AI, sustainable business models and AI-powered data analytics were also discussed.
Paul discussed the government’s interest in partnering with the industry to leverage AI for public health dimensions such as individualised care, prediction, targeting and precision public health.
He mentioned the operationalisation of the Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH), an initiative stemming from India’s G20 presidency that aims at helping countries utilise digital technologies and ecosystems for development.
The NITI Aayog member also underscored the significance of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), noting that approximately 66 crore ABHA accounts have been opened.
He urged industry stakeholders to contribute to the mission’s refinement and leverage the India AI Mission for collaborative advancements in AI-driven healthcare.
Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Apurva Chandra, acknowledged the significant strides AI has made, recognizing its potential to transform healthcare.
He noted that while AI is not yet extensively used within the ministry, there are current applications being utilised in decision support systems, data mining, diagnostics, drug discovery and fraud analytics.
He described how AI is used in decision support systems like HMIS software, integrated with e-Sanjivani and numerous hospitals and primary care centres to recommend medicines based on past behaviours and learnings.
Chandra stressed the need for industry collaboration to further integrate AI into healthcare, particularly in utilising the vast datasets available for public health outcomes, including predicting pandemics and managing non-communicable diseases, communicable diseases, and maternal and child health outcomes.
During the event, the ‘CII Self-Regulatory Code of Conduct for Telemedicine’ and a comprehensive report titled ‘Mapping India’s Corporate Health and Wellness Landscape’ were launched. (PTI)
