AI to reduce burden on healthcare workforce, strengthen physician–patient relationship: Health secretary
Union health ministry underscored importance of building interoperable digital platforms supported by strong data governance and privacy safeguards to ensure responsible deployment of AI solutions
At the India AI Impact Summit 2026, officials from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said the integration of AI in healthcare is imperative as it will reduce the burden on the healthcare workforce while strengthening the physician-patient relationship.
Dr. Sunil Kumar Barnwal, CEO, National Health Authority, said AI can significantly enhance efficiency in healthcare delivery and enable faster, data-driven decision-making, particularly in large-scale public health programmes.
He emphasised that AI-powered analytics can strengthen beneficiary identification, streamline claims management, detect fraud, and monitor service utilisation, thereby improving transparency, accountability, and overall system performance.
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“We are not harnessing the full potential of AI. AI should become an integral part of health. A specialised doctor spends time on non-clinical issues, including listening to patients and writing prescriptions, so this would be reduced if AI is integrated in the healthcare system,” he said, and underscored the importance of building interoperable digital platforms supported by strong data governance and privacy safeguards to ensure responsible deployment of AI solutions.
Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava said over the past decade, India’s health system has transitioned from basic digitisation of records and improved data reporting to building a nationally interoperable digital health ecosystem.
Citing the example of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), she said the Centre’s scheme has evolved into a robust digital public infrastructure for health, with over 859 million ABHA accounts linked to more than 878 million health records.
“With more than 1.80 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs operational across the country, digital platforms are being integrated at the primary care level. E-Sanjeevani, powered by AI-assisted Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS), has enabled over 449 million teleconsultations through more than 2.2 lakh registered healthcare providers, making it the world’s largest telemedicine initiative in primary healthcare,” she said.
Citing examples, she referred to MadhuNetrAI for AI-based diabetic retinopathy screening, AI-enabled handheld X-rays, and acoustic screening tools such as Cough Against TB (CA-TB) for tuberculosis detection, and AI-integrated surveillance systems for faster epidemic alerts.
