How AI could shift India's healthcare from diagnosis to early prediction
Artificial intelligence could fundamentally change the way healthcare is delivered in India, shifting the focus from treating diseases after they appear to predicting and preventing them, according to experts at a conference in Hyderabad. The ‘AI-Enabled Healthcare and Digital Transformation’ event, organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) on Saturday, brought together public health officials, digital health experts, and industry leaders to discuss the integration of AI into the country’s healthcare system.
Dr. Mona Duggal, Director of the ICMR-National Institute for Research in Digital Health (NIRDH), called for a fundamental shift in how health data is used. Instead of simply maintaining health records, she said the system should move towards creating “wellness records”. This would mean that a proactive, wellness-first approach—tracking lifestyle, environmental factors, and early indicators—should inform clinical health records, rather than the reverse. Such an approach, she argued, could help identify risks before they develop into serious conditions.
Dr. Avinash Pandey, Group Leader for NABH Digital Health, cautioned that investment in technology alone does not guarantee transformation. He noted that many healthcare organisations in India have adopted sophisticated digital systems over the past decade, yet clinicians still rely on paper records in many hospitals. Dashboards created for hospital leadership often go unused. He stressed the need for a cultural change in how healthcare professionals engage with digital tools, and for systems to be designed around the needs of clinicians and patients rather than as standalone technical exercises.
Access remains a critical challenge, said Dr. Chinna Babu, Co-Chair of the newly formed FICCI Telangana Healthcare Panel. He pointed out that while Hyderabad has seen significant growth in healthcare facilities, Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities lack adequate infrastructure. Patients from smaller towns are often forced to travel to larger cities for treatment, leading to higher out-of-pocket expenses and delays in care. Preventive healthcare and accessible medical services, he said, must be extended beyond metropolitan areas to ensure equitable healthcare delivery across the state.
The conference also marked the launch of the first FICCI Telangana Healthcare Panel, which will work on policy recommendations for the Telangana government. The panel’s focus areas include AI-enabled care, preventive and outcomes-based healthcare, medical tourism, healthcare accessibility, and education and skilling for the healthcare workforce. These priorities reflect a broader recognition that technology must be aligned with health outcomes and accessibility.
India’s healthcare system faces immense pressure, with an increasing burden of non-communicable diseases, a shortage of medical professionals, and significant disparities between urban and rural areas. AI offers the potential to address some of these challenges by enabling earlier detection of diseases, personalising treatment plans, and connecting fragmented patient records to provide a more complete picture of an individual’s health. However, experts cautioned that these benefits will only be realised if the adoption of AI is accompanied by appropriate regulations, data protection measures, and investment in digital literacy for both healthcare providers and patients.
The discussions in Hyderabad reflect a growing consensus that the future of healthcare lies in prediction and prevention, rather than diagnosis and treatment alone. By integrating AI into the healthcare ecosystem, and by ensuring that the benefits reach all sections of society, India has an opportunity to build a more resilient and equitable system. The FICCI Telangana Healthcare Panel will play a key role in shaping the policy environment needed to achieve this goal.
