According to the  market research “the gap between the required and current growth in healthcare infrastructure and care-providing staff in India cannot be addressed through an incremental and linear approach. Latest advancements in technology like AI, Internet of things (IoT) and blockchain can enable the healthcare industry to adopt disruptive technology-led service and business models, scale up for access and affordability, and take the winning leap to make India a global healthcare hub,” writes Arnab Basu, Partner and Technology Consulting Leader, PwC India.

AI addresses acute healthcare challenges

Shortage of qualified healthcare professionals is an acute challenge that the country has been facing over the years. This is an area where AI can make an immediate difference.

“According to the WHO, the doctor-to-patient ratio in India is 1:1456 as against the 1:1000 recommendation. Doctors have significant administrative responsibilities, including documenting patient encounters, answering inbox messages, ordering medications or tests, and much more. AI-powered voice assistants can help physicians complete many of these tasks more quickly, enabling them to spend more time with their patients,” Nitin Gupta, Vice President- Engineering and India Head, Suki – makers of medical dictation software.

Gupta says that the increasing adoption of electronic health records (EHR) among Indian healthcare providers will add more administrative burden for doctors and AI will play a key role in taking these clerical tasks away from doctors and healthcare professionals. Currently, healthcare providers are focusing on similar AI use cases that have ease of implementation and immediate RoI.

In the long run, however, AI has the potential to transform care delivery, operational excellence and customer experience. R&D and healthcare innovation are another top priority for AI implementations.