The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has stepped up the integration of artificial intelligence into public healthcare delivery, designating AIIMS Delhi, PGIMER Chandigarh and AIIMS Rishikesh as Centres of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence to drive the development and adoption of AI-driven diagnostic solutions.
According to the ministry, multiple collaborations are underway with key institutions including the Central Tuberculosis Division, National Centre for Disease Control, CDAC-Mohali, ICMR, MeitY, IISc and the National Health Systems Resource Centre. Technical support is being provided by Wadhwani AI for projects ranging from clinical decision support tools to imaging-based disease detection.
Among the flagship initiatives is MadhuNetrAI, an AI model that enables non-specialist health workers to conduct diabetic retinopathy screening using retinal fundus images. The tool, rolled out across 38 facilities in 11 states, has assisted in the screening of more than 14,000 retinal images and benefited over 7,100 patients.
The Clinical Decision Support System, integrated into the national telemedicine platform eSanjeevani, is designed to improve the quality of tele-consultations. Since April 2023, more than 282 million consultations have used standardized data capture and AI-generated differential diagnosis recommendations.
Under the TB elimination programme, the Cough Against TB AI solution has been used to screen over 1.62 lakh individuals across community settings between March 2023 and November 2025. The Ministry said the tool has helped deliver an additional 12–16 per cent case yield compared to conventional screening methods.
The ministry emphasised that all AI deployments adhere to the existing regulatory framework, including MeitY’s AI governance guidelines, ICMR’s ethical norms for biomedical AI, the IT Act, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023, and the Health Ministry’s information security protocols.
Minister of State for Health Prataprao Jadhav shared these details in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
