Amid the COVID-19 lockdown, Courtney’s four-year-old son, Alex, began experiencing excruciating pain and stunted growth, setting off a three-year-long battle involving 17 doctors to uncover the root cause of his suffering. With no clarity on her son’s condition, Courtney turned to an unconventional source for answers: ChatGPT. “I meticulously reviewed his MRI notes and fed them into ChatGPT,” shared the determined mother. To her astonishment, the AI suggested that Alex might be grappling with a rare neurological condition known as tethered cord syndrome. Following this revelation, Alex underwent surgery to rectify his spinal issues and is currently on the road to recovery.

While ChatGPT is no substitute for medical professionals, this remarkable incident highlights the immense potential of artificial intelligence in healthcare. In October 2022, the World Economic Forum projected that India’s AI investment is set to reach a substantial USD 11.78 billion by 2025, contributing around USD 1 trillion to the Indian economy by 2035. AI has already made its mark in various sectors, and healthcare is the latest addition to this list. India, with its massive population of 1.4 billion, grapples with a shortage of medical professionals, with only 64 doctors per 100,000 people, as opposed to the global average of 150 doctors per 100,000. AI is stepping in to complement the efforts of healthcare providers.

AI’s potential in the healthcare sector is boundless, encompassing tasks such as mining medical records, devising treatment plans, early detection of life-threatening diseases, cancer and diabetes screening, AI-based tools for eye care, and the diagnosis and management of conditions like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerabilities of the healthcare system in India and worldwide, prompting governments and start-ups to collaborate in developing a more resilient model for addressing unforeseen crises. Contactless medical care and remote patient monitoring emerged as vital solutions in and post-2020. A notable example is Dozee, a start-up established in 2015, specializing in ‘contactless’ remote patient monitoring powered by AI. It relies on Ballistocardiography technology, a non-invasive method that measures body motion caused by the ejection of blood during each cardiac cycle.

Cancer detection in India lags behind, with only a 29% detection rate. For conditions like breast and lung cancers, the figures are even more alarming, with only about 15% and 33% detection rates, respectively. Start-ups like Niramai, Neura Health, and OncoStem have stepped up to address this issue. Niramai’s patented portable device, ‘Thermalytix,’ utilizes AI to detect early-stage breast cancer through non-contact temperature measurement. Augnito, founded by Rustom Lawyer and Shiraz Austin, offers clinical documentation powered by voice AI, providing real-time speech-to-text software for healthcare. They are exploring the use of Voice Biomarkers for the detection of neurological diseases, mental health conditions, and respiratory ailments.

AI also plays a pivotal role in early detection of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Tricog, established in 2014, offers remote cardiac diagnosis with the aim of significantly improving the chances of survival during a heart attack. Moreover, AI simplifies routine tasks such as patient record management and medical billing processes while enhancing scheduling through AI-driven chatbots. This allows medical professionals to focus on critical decision-making and the delivery of high-quality healthcare.

AI-assisted robotic surgery, dosage error reduction, and image analysis are additional areas where AI has a substantial impact. Robot-assisted surgery is considered “minimally invasive,” resulting in shorter recovery periods, reduced post-surgery pain, and fewer complications. This, in turn, enables medical professionals to handle a larger caseload with better outcomes. Grand View Research predicts that the global surgical robots market is poised for significant growth, with a projected CAGR of 18% from 2023 to 2030. AI in healthcare is proving to be a transformative force, revolutionizing the way we diagnose, treat, and support patients.

By Impact Lab