India’s health care system is at a crossroads. While urban centres boast world-class hospitals, rural areas, home to over 65% of the population, face severe shortages in medical infrastructure and personnel. The traditional approach of building brick-and-mortar facilities in every remote corner is not only time-consuming but also financially unsustainable. To bridge this gap, India has a unique opportunity to leapfrog into the future by harnessing Artificial Intelligence (AI), remote patient monitoring, and digital health care technologies.

This approach aligns seamlessly with national initiatives like the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), and the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). By leveraging technology, India can achieve its health care goals faster, more efficiently, and more equitably.

India has a history of skipping development stages to adopt cutting-edge solutions. Just as the nation bypassed landline telephony to become a global leader in mobile connectivity and digital payments, it can now bypass the slow, incremental path of health care infrastructure development. Instead of replicating the West’s trajectory—fragmented infrastructure to consolidated systems and finally to digital health—India can jump straight to the AI-powered digital health care age.

Here’s how AI and digital technologies can transform health care delivery in India:

1) Remote patient management: Remote patient monitoring (RPM) technologies can revolutionise health care in rural areas. Wearable devices and smartphone-based health apps can track vital signs like blood pressure, glucose levels, and oxygen saturation in real time. For instance:

• AI-powered wearables can alert health care workers about early signs of chronic diseases, reducing hospital visits.
• Mobile apps integrated with ABDM can allow patients to consult doctors remotely through telemedicine platforms like eSanjeevani.

These tools not only save time and resources but also empower patients to take control of their health.

2) AI-driven diagnostics: AI can bring advanced diagnostic capabilities to the most remote corners of India. For example:

• Portable AI-enabled devices can perform ultrasounds, ECGs, and even detect diseases like tuberculosis or cervical cancer without requiring skilled specialists.
• Smartphone-based AI can analyse skin lesions or eye scans with accuracy comparable to trained doctors.

Such innovations can significantly enhance the diagnostic capacity of Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs), a key component of PM-ABHIM.

3. Predictive health care and disease surveillance: AI algorithms can analyse vast amounts of health data to predict disease outbreaks and improve resource allocation. For instance:

• AI models can use PMJAY claims data to identify patterns and predict outbreaks of diseases like dengue or malaria.
• Predictive analytics can help optimise the distribution of medicines and medical supplies to rural areas.

By integrating AI into disease surveillance systems, India can respond to public health emergencies more effectively.

Health care outcomes are deeply influenced by Social Determinants of Health (SDoH), such as income, education, housing, and access to clean water. AI and digital technologies can help address these factors in India:

• Income and education: AI-powered health literacy programmes can deliver personalised health education through low-cost smartphones, empowering individuals to make informed decisions.
• Access to resources: Predictive analytics can identify underserved regions and guide the allocation of resources like medicines, vaccines, and community health workers.
• Housing and sanitation: Remote monitoring of air and water quality, combined with AI models, can help identify environmental risks and guide public health interventions.

By integrating SDoH into health care strategies, India can achieve more equitable and sustainable health outcomes. In the United States, home-based health care has delivered rich dividends with the deployment of AI, remote patient monitoring, and telehealth. For example:

• Chronic disease management: RPM devices have reduced hospital readmissions for chronic conditions like heart failure and diabetes by up to 38%.
• Telehealth expansion: AI-powered telehealth platforms have enabled millions of Americans to access care during the Covid-19 pandemic, proving that virtual care can be both effective and scalable.
• Cost savings: Home-based care models have reduced health care costs by 20-30% compared to traditional hospital-based care.

These successes demonstrate the potential of technology-driven home health care to improve outcomes, reduce costs, and enhance patient satisfaction—a model that India can adapt to its unique needs.

AI and digital technologies can directly support India’s flagship health care programmes:

• Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM): By creating a unified digital health ecosystem, ABDM enables seamless sharing of health records, teleconsultations, and e-pharmacies. AI can enhance this ecosystem by providing personalised health recommendations and automating administrative tasks.
• PM-ABHIM:AI-powered diagnostic kits can make HWCs more effective, reducing the need for expensive tertiary care.
• PMJAY: AI can analyse claims data to detect fraud, improve efficiency, and ensure that benefits reach those who need them most.

To make this vision a reality, India needs a phased approach:

1. Short-term (2024-2026): Deploy AI-enabled diagnostic kits in 50,000 HWCs and train health care workers in using these tools.

2. Mid-term (2027-2030): Expand telemedicine adoption to 70% of rural areas and integrate AI into disease surveillance systems.

3. Long-term (2031-2035): Achieve universal health coverage through a fully digital, AI-powered health care ecosystem.

While the potential is immense, there are challenges to address:

• Digital divide: Affordable smartphones, improved internet connectivity, and digital literacy programmes can ensure that rural populations benefit from these technologies.
• Data privacy: ABDM’s focus on secure, consent-based data sharing provides a strong foundation for protecting patient information.
• Human touch: AI will augment, not replace, health care workers. Community health workers like ASHAs will continue to play a vital role, supported by AI tools.

By embracing AI and digital technologies, India can transform its health care system without waiting for decades of infrastructure development. An investment in AI-driven health care is not just a technological upgrade—it’s a moral imperative to ensure equitable access to quality care for all Indians.

With the right investments and policy support, India can redefine global health care innovation. By skipping the infrastructure trap and jumping straight into the AI age, India can achieve universal health coverage faster, cheaper, and more effectively than ever imagined. The future of health care is here, and India is poised to lead the way.

This article is authored by Sreeram Mullankandy, senior director – product management and clinical quality, Elumina Health care Inc.