India's Apollo Hospitals is increasing its investment in artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce the workload of its doctors and nurses by automating routine tasks like medical documentation, Reuters reported, citing a top executive. Indian hospitals, facing overworked doctors and nurses managing heavy patient loads, are increasingly leveraging AI to enhance diagnostic accuracy, predict complication risks, refine robotic surgeries, enable virtual medical care, and optimise hospital operations, the report noted.
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Apollo's AI Push to Ease Workload
"Apollo, which has more than 10,000 beds across its hospital network, making it one of the largest in the country, set aside 3.5 percent of its digital spend on AI over the past two years and plans to increase it this year, Joint Managing Director Sangita Reddy reportedly said, without providing further details.
"Our aim is to free up two to three hours daily for doctors and nurses through AI interventions," she reportedly said.
Apollo's AI Tools
Apollo's AI tools, some of which are experimental and still in the initial stages, will analyse patents' electronic medical records to suggest diagnoses, tests, and treatments, while also transcribing doctors' observations and generating discharge summaries. Apollo is also developing an AI tool that will help clinicians prescribe the most effective antibiotic suitable to treat the illness, the report further said.
As part of its strategy, the hospital plans to expand bed capacity by one-third in four years, directing a portion of the revenue toward AI adoption. With nurse attrition expected to rise from 25 percent to 30 percent by fiscal 2025, the hospital hopes AI will help manage workloads and improve efficiency.
According to the report, several other Indian hospitals, including Fortis Healthcare, Tata Memorial, Manipal Hospitals, Narayana Health, Max Healthcare, Medanta, and Aster DM Healthcare, have also invested in AI-powered tools. However, high technology costs, diverse data sources and formats, and limited electronic medical records remain key challenges to accelerate AI adoption, Joydeep Ghosh, a partner at Deloitte India, was quoted as saying.
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AI-Based Music Therapy for Cancer Patients
In another AI related development, Apollo Proton Cancer Centre (APCC) launched what they call Asia's first AI-based music therapy for cancer patients in collaboration with DigiNxtHlt to support cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, according to The Hindu Report dated March 1.
Carnatic vocalist Sudha Raghunathan, inaugurated the therapy and called the venture a trailblazer, noting that "Though music was a powerful medium, its therapeutic potential has not been explored yet."
"AI-based music therapy will help in creating a soothing environment for the cancer patients," she reportedly added.
Sujith Kumar Mullapally, Consultant-Medical Oncologist at APCC, reportedly said, "The music therapy — approved by the Apollo Ethics Committee and the Clinical Trials Registry — has been carried out on cancer patients who were willing to receive the therapy."
Sujatha Visweswara, CEO and Co-Founder of Echo Care, reportedly said the AI-driven therapy has been designed to provide a "personalised soundscape" for cancer patients.
