Clipped from: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/doctors-at-the-heart-of-the-ai-revolution/article69756779.ece
AI gives doctors more time for what matters — direct patient interaction and complex problem-solving.
AI isn’t here to take over, but to lend a hand | Photo Credit: WHYFRAMESTUDIO
India’s healthcare system has come a long way since Independence. In the 1950s, the country’s life expectancy stood at just 35 years. Limited infrastructure, low doctor-to-patient ratios, and sparse access to quality care defined an overburdened system. Fast forward to today, and we are looking at a vastly different reality: India has become a global healthcare destination and a key player in digital health innovation.
From orchestrating the world’s largest vaccination drive to embracing integrated care models and digital platforms, India’s health sector is evolving rapidly. Technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), remote monitoring tools, and teleconsultation platforms are reshaping how we approach healthcare access and delivery. Yet amid this transformation, one constant remains: doctors continue to be the irreplaceable beating heart of the system.
On National Doctor’s Day, as we reflect on how far we’ve come, it’s clear that while technology continues to shape the future of care, doctors remain the steady, invaluable force at its core, embodying the very essence of healing.
A healthcare system in transformation
India’s healthcare space is going through a major shift, and tech is at the heart of it. The Union Health Ministry’s 2025-26 budget has increased by 191 per cent since 2014-15, reaching ₹99,858.56 crore. Along with that, plans like the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) are pushing things forward. Healthcare is also among the top five sectors expected to contribute to nearly 60 per cent of India’s AI-led value addition, underscoring its growing role in digital transformation and intelligent care delivery. The aim clearly is to upgrade facilities, improve digital reach, and bring in newer, better ways to deliver care with higher productivity.
Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and wearable technology are playing increasingly critical roles. The AI healthcare market, globally valued at $11 billion in 2021, is forecasted to grow to $188 billion by 2030.
Technology can assist, but not replace
While artificial intelligence is transforming healthcare through data crunching, remote tracking, and decision support, it fundamentally remains a tool. Its limitations become clear wherever human insight, nuanced emotional judgment, and ethical decision-making truly matter. Doctors offer much more than just clinical knowledge — they bring experience, judgment, warmth, empathy, and a steady presence that comforts patients during their most vulnerable moments.
AI follows programmed patterns and datasets, excelling at identifying correlations within vast amounts of data, but physicians think on their feet, juggling facts with emotions, values, and complex ethical questions. They pick up on subtle cues like body language or tone — things machines usually miss. This ability to understand the ‘unspoken’ aspects of a patient’s condition, to provide genuine reassurance, and to navigate the complexities of human experience is uniquely human.
Whether it’s performing a complex surgery requiring instantaneous adaptability and moral courage, or understanding what a patient might be going through at home that’s impacting their health, doctors bring a kind of care that’s truly personal and deeply holistic. And unlike any machine, they hold responsibility for their actions, guided by a strong sense of right and wrong and an unwavering commitment to patient well-being. AI can help in many ways, sure — but it’s the human doctor who gives care its soul, its ethical compass, and its profound healing touch.
Where AI can help
AI isn’t here to take over, but to lend a hand. Here’s where it’s already making a difference, empowering our medical professionals to deliver even higher quality care:
Frees up time: By taking care of repetitive tasks like automated charting, smart scheduling, and initial data sorting from scans or claims processing, AI gives doctors more time for what matters — direct patient interaction and complex problem-solving.
Supports decision-making: AI can suggest possible actions based on the past data of the patient, external literature, and best practices from all over the world, but at the end of the day, the critical interpretation, contextual understanding, and final clinical decision always rest with the doctor.
Improves care quality: AI can handle diagnosis at scale and also enable clinicians to focus more on precise diagnoses.
Builds more room for empathy: With less administrative burden, doctors can spend more time talking to patients, listening to them— being human. This fosters deeper trust and allows for the compassionate care that machines cannot replicate.
And while tools like robotic surgeries are a big leap forward, we must remember, it’s still the doctor who performs the surgery, with the robot assisting as an extension of their expertise.
Advanced cancer treatments, too, rely on both tech and human judgment. Take LINAC, the world’s most advanced radiation therapy system. It offers over 6,000 ready-made treatment plans, yet every single one is tailored by doctors based on a patient’s unique condition.
Even AI-enabled mammography machines, capable of detecting the smallest abnormalities, depend on the sharp eyes and trained interpretation of doctors. It’s that human precision that gives patients both accuracy and assurance. The AI provides the data, but the doctor provides the wisdom, the context, and the ultimate responsibility.
A moment to reflect, recommit
On National Doctor’s Day, we celebrate not just the profession, but the unwavering humanity that doctors bring to every interaction. In an era of constant evolution, doctors still carry the deep responsibility of healing — blending science with care and compassion.
When we build systems that keep doctors at the centre, we shape a future where innovation amplifies empathy, and progress makes care not just stronger, but more human and accessible. We recognise that while AI can revolutionise processes, but it is the doctor’s intellect, compassion, and ethical grounding that will always define the true quality of care. Because no matter how far our tools go, it’s still the doctor who holds the stethoscope — and the patient’s trust.
The writer is CEO, PD Hinduja Hospital & Medical Research Centre
Published on July 1, 2025
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