Viewpoint: How artificial intelligence is disrupting healthcare in India
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
We are a country of a billion people. However, at one doctor for 1,681 patients, we have one of the lowest doctor-to-patient ratios in the world. In rural areas, the numbers are even more skewed. In the US and Japan, this ratio is around 1:400.
One way to improve this ratio is, of course, to produce more doctors. However, that is a slow process and not easy to scale. Besides, producing a large number of doctors, which is the norm of our education system, does not guarantee top-notch healthcare access for all.
Also, we Indians tend to delay consulting a doctor till the last minute. While the concept of preventive healthcare is new here, the cost and quality of primary healthcare are also an impediment.
Given these challenges, how can we ensure that every Indian citizen has access to quality healthcare at affordable rates?
