India is on the cusp of a significant transformation in its healthcare sector. Healthcare leaders across the country are driving this transformation by adopting the latest technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), advanced analytics, virtual care, and automation. This will redefine the way care is delivered in a more efficient and patient-centric manner. These advancements promise to enhance the quality of care and make healthcare more accessible, personalised, and timely for millions of Indians.
But amidst this growth, a few immediate challenges require attention. Timely access to care is the cornerstone of a well-functioning healthcare system. However, the growing demand for healthcare services has resulted in increased pressure on healthcare professionals, leading to staff shortages, burnout, and increased waiting times.
Healthcare workers are the true sentinels of our healthcare system, often the unsung heroes who continue to deliver care under immense pressure. But increased pressure on our healthcare systems has impacted people’s ability to get the care they need and amplified the strain on healthcare providers. With staff shortages at the forefront, it’s worth noting that 94% of healthcare leaders recognise the positive impact of virtual care in easing this burden, according to the Future Health Index (FHI) 2024 India report. In this context, AI and data-driven insights can potentially be powerful tools for transformation. According to the FHI, 93% of Indian healthcare leaders are investing or planning to invest in generative AI within the next three years — a sign of growing confidence in its transformative capabilities.
From early intervention systems that can make faster diagnoses to care delivery optimisation solutions, technology reduces the strain on healthcare workers while enabling them to deliver better care for more people.
Need for data-driven insights
In my conversations with Indian healthcare leaders, a majority has emphasised that actionable insights derived from patient data are the key to enhancing the quality of care delivery. For example, data-driven insights could help identify evidence-based best practices and predict and reduce adverse patient events. Data-based analyses can facilitate individualised treatment plans, which will assist clinicians in designing personalised interventions for each patient. This transition towards a precision medicine model will not only enhance patient outcomes, but it will also optimise the utilisation of beneficial resources for the patients and the healthcare system.
Interoperability in healthcare information systems
However, while there is optimism about the technology’s potential, deploying it on the ground will involve navigating barriers such as fragmented data systems, technological gaps, and resource constraints. Several of these challenges stem from the difficulty of integrating data effectively across systems. Patient information often exists in silos — spread across electronic medical records, diagnostic tools, and workflow systems — making it difficult to consolidate and derive actionable insights. Due to these data integration challenges, healthcare professionals lose precious time collecting and consolidating information. Moreover, the lack of a consistent data approach increases the risk of errors, impacting patient safety, and increases operational costs. To address these challenges, there is a need for interoperability — the ability for diverse systems to communicate and exchange information seamlessly.
By achieving interoperability, healthcare organisations can create an ecosystem where data flows freely, empowering providers with the insights they need to make informed decisions.
Role of AI
AI will be key in bridging the insights gap. While the adoption of AI in Indian healthcare was relatively low just a year ago, this is rapidly changing. Leaders recognise AI’s potential to reform key areas such as in-hospital patient monitoring, treatment planning, and preventive care. Generative AI is emerging as a game-changer because it can analyse complex data sets, identify patterns, and generate actionable insights. Already today, generative AI can function as a virtual assistant to save healthcare professionals valuable time, using large language models to organise clinical notes and simplify the ways patient information is communicated across teams. While AI can significantly streamline administrative tasks and improve patient interactions, its role in healthcare goes beyond just automation. It can also support healthcare professionals by enhancing their skills. With a shortage of experienced staff in many healthcare systems, AI can make complex diagnostics easier, helping less experienced professionals deliver high-quality care with confidence.
To unlock these possibilities, stakeholders, including government, health-tech companies, healthcare providers, and start-ups, must play a vital role to partner with each other and enhance technology integration and interoperability.
Bridging the insights gap in Indian healthcare is not just about adopting new technologies — it’s about reimagining how healthcare is delivered. It’s about creating a future where healthcare providers have the tools, they need to provide the best care possible, and patients have access to more and better care.
The author is Managing director, Philips Indian Subcontinent.
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