AI integration redefining diagnostics, patient care: Minister Jitendra

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine is redefining diagnostics and patient care in India, said Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh has said.

Addressing the 54th Foundation Day and College Convocation of the University College of Medical Sciences (UCMS), University of Delhi, Singh highlighted the rapidly changing paradigms of medical education in India as well as those of health care.

The Minister noted that the integration of AI in medicine, which he himself has experimented with through tele-mobile clinics, is set to redefine diagnostics and patient care.

“AI can communicate in the patient’s own language and even provide comfort through human-like interaction,” Singh said, calling it a hybrid model that combines empathy with innovation.

The Minister noted that India has emerged as a global healthcare leader with an indigenous DNA vaccine for Covid-19 and gene therapy, and also emphasised the growing global credibility of India’s life sciences sector.

He also mentioned the paradigm shift in medical education in the past decade.

“Ten years ago, there were only about 45,000 undergraduate medical seats; today, the number is close to 1.5 lakh,” he said. Further, Singh credited initiatives such as Ayushman Bharat and Jan Aushadhi Kendras for transforming healthcare delivery to “accessible, affordable, and available”.

Noting that “the age of working in silos is over,” Singh urged academic institutions to integrate with industry and government laboratories.

The Minister also urged doctors to deal with a “bi-phasic disease spectrum” -- the coexistence of communicable and non-communicable diseases -- alongside an ageing population and rapid technological changes.