May 2025

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 21 may 2025

Indian healthcare continues to adopt technologies for equity, access and efficiency. In recent times, Artificial intelligence (AI) is in focus in areas such as drug discovery, digital patient records, improving diagnostic accuracy etc. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), AI has transformed the pharmaceutical research industry, driving 30% of new drug discoveries by 2025. While Global Outlook and Forecast 2025-2030 points out that AI in the drug discovery market was valued at $1.72 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $8.53 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30.59%. Dr. Rajan Kashyap, assistant professor at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), says, 'Government initiatives such as increasing the number of seats in medical and paramedical courses, implementing mandatory rural health services, and developing Indigenous low-cost MRI machines are contributing significantly to hardware development in the AI innovation cycle.' But, technological advancements also bring challenges and issues such as privacy and data protection. According to Netskope Threat Labs, doctors have been consistently uploading sensitive patient information to unauthorised websites and cloud services. Dr. Kashyap says, 'Patient confidentiality is often overlooked in the healthcare industry. During my professional experience at AI labs abroad, I observed that organisations enforced strict data protection regulations and mandatory training programs…The use of public AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini was strictly prohibited, with no exceptions or shortcuts allowed.' AI systems are vulnerable to data breaches, hacking, and the potential for re-identification even with anonymised data. Dr. Kashyap suggests, 'I strongly advocate for strict adherence to protected data-sharing protocols when handling clinical information...government must prioritise developing interdisciplinary med-tech programs, particularly those integrating AI with medical education,,,Misinformation and fake news pose a significant threat to progress...It's crucial that legal mechanisms are in place to counteract such disruptions, ensuring that innovation is not undermined by false narratives.' Read on...

Analytics India Magazine: AI is Changing Healthcare, But Can India Protect Patient Privacy?
Author: Smruthi Nadig

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