I had read many comic/science fiction stories during my childhood about the extent of digital transformation in the world taking place by 2020. We would imagine then having flying cars and time travel machines. No one thought about the health risks and the act of God. So, where do we stand today?

A small microbe had brought the entire world to its knees in a span of a couple of months. Including the developed nations, the world never prepared its healthcare to tackle the extent of the crisis this pandemic had brought in. We need to acknowledge and realize that every nation must learn to transform its healthcare. It’s all about preparing to face any future unknown contagion affecting mankind. 

Real innovation in healthcare needs to happen from the bottom to the top. How do we attain this?

As healthcare professionals, each of us must be innovative with a mindset and creative with our approach. The key difference between creativity and innovation is execution.

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”- Charles Darwin.

AI in Healthcare – Driving Innovation

Artificial intelligence in healthcare promises to help cut down healthcare costs while improving patient outcomes. AI-assisted robotic surgical systems are at the forefront of innovation in healthcare to improve surgeon skills and patient outcomes. 

Virtual nursing assistants not just provide medical advice for any common illnesses or ailments, but they also let you schedule a doctor’s appointment and are also available 24×7 to answer any queries you have in real-time. Finally, AI-powered health apps play a vital role in keeping you well.

The Indian government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative is encouraging the domestic manufacture of medical devices and boosting innovation with healthcare delivery, and looking beyond conventional methods. Health care innovation in India could serve as a global model for a shift from treating the sick to preventive care and wellness, given the size of its underserved population.

India, as an emerging economy with the third highest start-up pool globally, is ideally positioned to be the leader in MedTech innovation. India has a large talent pool of qualified professionals, essential for building novel products that address unmet healthcare needs and thereby lead healthcare innovation in India.

A government-led push to get health care providers to embrace electronic medical records is enabling artificial intelligence (AI) to extract insights from patient data to deliver better treatment.

“Everybody has a creative potential, and from the moment you can express this creative potential, you can start changing the world.” - Paulo Coelho.

This article was contributed by our expert Dr. Gurudath Rao

Frequently Asked Questions Answered By Dr. Gurudath Rao

Q1. How does AI improve healthcare? 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can conduct the analysis of large data of patients in a productive and efficient manner. This can result in better care delivery for the patients.

Q2. What is the use of artificial intelligence and robotics in the healthcare industry?

AI and robotics are used for numerous different tasks such as genetic testing, detection of cancer, robotic surgery, data management, and so on. Recently, wearable technology has found immense importance as it helps in promoting a healthy lifestyle.

Q3. How is AI transforming the future of healthcare in India?

AI is used for the purpose of predicting an outbreak of diseases, remote diagnostics and can also help to optimize the allocation of the resources in healthcare. Apart from that, many new innovators are focusing on finding solutions to some major challenges in healthcare. Some such initiatives are the use of ML for the detection of cancer and using AI to enable better primary care.

Q4. How is technology changing healthcare in India?

Technologies like Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are helping in providing improved care, reduced errors, and cost-efficient outcomes. It is also resulting in developments in the rural areas.