India's Health Ministry utilizes AI to enhance public health

The Indian Health Ministry announced on Friday that it is using artificial intelligence (AI) to improve public health services in the country. The ministry has appointed three medical institutions as Centers of Excellence for AI. These are AIIMS Delhi, PGIMER Chandigarh, and AIIMS Rishikesh. AI-based tools like the Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) have been developed to enhance healthcare. This system is part of e-Sanjeevani, a national telemedicine platform. It helps doctors by offering AI-based diagnosis recommendations, which improves the consultation process. Another important tool is the Media Disease Surveillance Solution, which started in April 2022. It monitors digital news sources for reports on infectious diseases and alerts local health authorities. Since its launch, it has shared over 4,500 alerts, aiding in quick responses to potential outbreaks. The ministry also highlighted a specific AI tool aimed at tackling tuberculosis (TB). The "Cough against TB" solution screens for pulmonary TB and has reported a 12-16% increase in cases identified compared to traditional methods. Additionally, an AI tool predicts adverse outcomes for TB patients, leading to a reported 27% decrease in such outcomes after its introduction.