Chandigarh: AI in Health Sector

Focusing on the institutional strength of the region to meet the challenges of the ‘Artificial Intelligence’ sector, the Punjab Government and Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) have agreed to jointly promote AI in the Health Sector.

Disclosing this here on Tuesday, the Principal Secretary of Science, Technology and Environment, Rakesh Verma, said that AI was an efficacious mechanism to address health-related issues, referring to AI as the latest and most powerful 4th Industrial revolution after the earlier three revolutions of coal & steam, electricity, electronics, and computers, which brought phenomenal transformation in global development.

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He emphasized the institutional strength of the Medical Device Hub at PGI, high-end instrumentation and expertise at IIT Ropar, Centre of Excellence at Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) Mohali on AI for startups, etc., to meet the emerging requirements of this sector. Further, the Global Innovation Hub and Lifesciences Park being set up at Mohali will also have a special focus to promote AI and Medical Devices, he added.

Presenting details about the recently launched Mission Innovate and Mission Tandrust Punjab 2.0, he highlighted the significance and role of AI to scientifically and more accurately deal with highly complex health-related problems.

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He also pointed out that India’s per capita expenditure on healthcare and medical devices was far below the global average and currently 70–75% of medical devices were being imported.