AI will revolutionize rural healthcare services: Dr. Pinky Jowel
Lucknow: On the second day of the two-day Uttar Pradesh AI and Health Innovation Conference, held at Hotel The Centrum, experts deliberated on the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in strengthening the healthcare sector. The experts emphasized that when adopted thoughtfully, AI has the potential to significantly enhance healthcare delivery across the country, especially by narrowing the gap between urban and rural services.
Dr. Pinky Jowel, Secretary, Medical Health and Family Welfare, highlighted that the true impact of AI will be realized when it empowers frontline health workers. She noted that ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, ANMs, and doctors form the backbone of healthcare delivery in every village.
She added, “When technology supports these workers, timely and more effective treatment becomes possible.” She stressed the importance of expanding telemedicine and remote care to ensure that people in remote areas can easily access medical advice.
Dr. Jowel pointed out that nearly 1.80 lakh ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, ANMs, and Chief Health Officers are directly connected to communities across villages and towns, making them central to both the state and national healthcare systems.
AI-based tools, she said, must be designed to simplify their work rather than add to their burden. Effective use of AI at facilities such as Ayushman Arogya Mandirs can ensure quality healthcare even in remote regions.
Several sessions focused on AI solutions already being implemented on the ground, particularly those aimed at early disease detection and timely referral of patients to appropriate healthcare facilities.
Experts underlined that inter-departmental coordination is critical for the successful integration of AI in healthcare. Beyond the health department, collaboration among various government departments, from policy formulation to on-ground implementation, is essential to fully harness AI’s potential. Such coordinated efforts can ensure consistent and improved healthcare services from the village level to tertiary hospitals.
Panelists also stressed the importance of data security and patient consent, especially as women and children constitute nearly half of the country’s population.
They noted that transparency and trust are fundamental to any effective healthcare system, and public acceptance of new technologies depends on confidence in how data is handled.
AI, they said, can play a vital role in reducing maternal mortality by enabling early identification of risk factors during pregnancy. AI-driven systems can help frontline workers detect warning signs early and ensure timely referral to hospitals, thereby saving the lives of both mothers and children through prompt intervention at the village level.
The conference featured eminent experts, including Arvind Kumar, Director General, Software Technology Parks of India; Prof. R.K. Singh, SGPGI; Dr. Sanjay Sood, C-DAC, Mohali; Prof. Sri Ram Ganapathy; and Colonel Sameer Kanwar, Director General, PATH.
