AI Revolutionizes Healthcare in Underserved Regions, Says Expert

Former Deputy Director-General of the World Health Organization, Soumya Swaminathan, emphasized the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare during her remarks on February 20, 2026, in New Delhi. She noted that AI can significantly enhance healthcare delivery, particularly in areas experiencing a shortage of specialist doctors, such as parts of India and Africa.

Swaminathan highlighted that many regions lack essential specialists like radiologists, psychiatrists, and pathologists. She pointed out that one of the most effective applications of AI is in image and pattern recognition, which can aid in interpreting X-rays and pathology slides. “AI can have a lot of very positive impact in healthcare, particularly since we know that we have a lot of places in India as well as in other parts of the world like Africa where we don’t have specialists,” Swaminathan stated. She emphasized that the effectiveness of these AI applications hinges on algorithms being trained on high-quality datasets.

While acknowledging the rapid emergence of AI-based healthcare solutions, Swaminathan stressed the importance of rigorous evaluations prior to widespread adoption. Drawing a parallel with the introduction of new drugs and vaccines, she asserted, “We need to assess the efficacy and the safety of any new AI product before it is scaled up.” This assessment, she argued, should align with a clear regulatory pathway to ensure public trust and safety.

AI Impact Summit Highlights Global Cooperation

The discussion coincided with the India AI Impact Summit, the first global AI summit hosted in the Global South. This event underscores the potential of AI to align with the national vision of “Sarvajana Hitaya, Sarvajana Sukhaya,” which translates to welfare for all and happiness for all. It also adheres to the global principle of AI for Humanity.

The summit is part of an ongoing international effort to enhance global cooperation on the governance, safety, and societal impact of AI. It is built around three foundational pillars: People, Planet, and Progress. These principles aim to promote a human-centric approach to AI, ensuring equitable benefits across communities while advancing sustainable and inclusive economic and technological growth.

During the summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the MANAV Vision, which focuses on establishing moral and ethical systems, accountable governance, national sovereignty, and accessibility. Additionally, Tata Group and OpenAI announced a partnership aimed at developing 100 megawatts of AI infrastructure in India, with plans to scale it up to 1 gigawatt.

The summit also saw the launch of BharatGen Param2, a cutting-edge AI model featuring 17 billion parameters designed to support 22 languages. New large language models from Sarvam AI were also presented. Due to high public interest, the India AI Impact Expo has been extended by an additional day, concluding on February 21, 2026.

The advancements and discussions at this summit reflect a growing momentum in harnessing AI to address critical healthcare challenges, particularly in underserved areas. As experts like Swaminathan advocate for careful evaluation and regulatory frameworks, the future of AI in healthcare looks promising yet requires diligent oversight.