India is making sustained progress towards its achievement of health related goals: maternal and infant mortality has been on a steady decline; significant progress has been made in reducing the number of fatalities attributed to vector-borne diseases; the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) is making progress on non-communicable diseases; and the National Health Authority (NHA) currently provides one of the world’s largest public health insurance programs, with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission leading the transition to enable digital healthcare in India.

And yet, there is a need for a more concerted programmatic effort and more innovation that is driven by advanced technology in order to achieve national healthcare targets. There is an immense potential for modern digital technology to enhance health systems all over the world, and make healthcare affordable, accessible, and equitable for all.

The Government of India has already built several digital health platforms and frameworks—the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) is one example—and there is an increase in the use of electronic health records (EHR). In addition to the data being generated by existing health programs, there are other types of data sets available today that can enhance our understanding of health and healthcare, such as those routinely obtained through the telecom and finance sectors, and social media.

India is in a position to better integrate advanced technology into existing digital solutions and frameworks that provide for better disease surveillance, and to use available data in more meaningful and far-reaching ways through AI/ML innovations. The challenges associated with leveraging these digital advancements can be mitigated to a large extent by establishing AI and Innovations Units at state health directorates. These units serve to create an AI ecosystem by guiding AI-related work for all health programs, ensuring that data and systems are AI-ready, carrying out high-impact AI projects, and providing advice and expertise to evaluate AI models and programs.