4 min readMar 26, 2026 06:13 AM IST
First published on: Mar 26, 2026 at 06:13 AM IST
Last month, doctors and researchers from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi were privileged to participate in conversations around artificial intelligence at the AI summit in Delhi. It was apparent that we are in a period of profound transition. As expansive digital transformations enter the physician’s consultation room, I find myself introspecting. Algorithms can calculate, but they cannot care. Healing remains a sacred bond built on trust, ethics, and human judgement.
AIIMS Delhi has a mandate to anchor the digital transformation of Indian medicine. As the designated Centre of Excellence (CoE) for AI in Health under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and the medical partner for the national AI-CoE supported by the Ministry of Education, it bears immense responsibility in defining standards for safe, ethical, and scalable AI adoption. The CoE focuses on initiatives such as cancer screening , chronic disease management, visual impairment, maternal and child health, and infectious diseases. AIIMS has forged a powerhouse ecosystem with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, other IITs, and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru. Supported by the ICM and the Anusandhan National Research Foundation, these partnerships move innovations beyond the lab into public delivery. Our goal is to ensure AI solves Indian priorities .
A significant challenge is the “data bias” of AI tools, which are developed through the use of patient profiles different from those of Indians. Our strategy is to turn frugal technology into high-precision diagnostic power. While global models for diabetic retinopathy often depend on expensive high-resolution cameras, AIIMS has helped develop the MadhuNetrAI, which works with low-cost, handheld cameras, which are practical for district hospitals. We are applying the same logic to dermatology by building indigenous datasets for Indian skin tones, and to breast cancer screening by adapting AI to the susceptibilities of Indian women.
By prioritising portability and affordability, we are ensuring these innovations reach and serve relatively inaccessible areas. The Arogya Aarohan app, a collaboration between AIIMS Delhi and IISc Bangalore, enables frontline healthcare workers to assess oral cancer risks using only smartphone photographs of a patient’s oral cavity. Similarly, AI-powered cough analysis for tuberculosis brings high-level “doorstep diagnostics” to resource-constrained rural clinics, enabling early, life-saving interventions where they were previously impossible.
At the radiology department, an approved AI system acts as a “digital co-pilot”, and flags abnormalities in chest x-rays. In a high-volume public hospital, this helps specialists prioritise critical cases and reduce diagnostic delays.
As the country’s population structure shifts and chronic disease burdens grow, we must strengthen our demographic resilience — the capacity to anticipate and manage profound population changes. Human resource expansion alone cannot bridge these widening gaps. We must also amplify our capacity through technological augmentation.
Training is the cornerstone of this adaptation. AIIMS is integrating AI literacy into the medical curriculum, ensuring clinicians master algorithmic logic, bias recognition, and clinical accountability. AIIMS supports the national ecosystem by releasing anonymised datasets. By sharing structured data, we can incubate an industry of innovators.
India’s influence in the health-tech domain transcends borders — this includes the Indo-French Centre for AI in Health, a partnership between AIIMS, Sorbonne University, the Paris Brain Institute, and IIT Delhi, aimed at building trusted AI and fostering global interdisciplinary research.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for India@2047 is one where India leads through self-reliance and indigenous innovation. By building medical AI tailored to India’s unique needs and proving its efficacy in the world’s most demanding public health conditions, we are doing more than solving domestic challenges. We are crafting a roadmap for the future.
The writer is director, AlIMS, New Delhi
