India's healthcare sector is witnessing transformative changes, particularly in rural areas. The "10 Bed ICU" project, initiated by technology entrepreneur Srikanth Nadhamuni, has established over 200 ten-bed intensive care units (ICUs) in rural hospitals. Each unit, costing approximately $53,000, adheres to WHO standards and is equipped with tele-ICU systems that connect rural hospitals with intensivists at major medical centers, providing remote specialist guidance. This innovation alleviates overcrowded city hospitals and enhances local medical staff's expertise, offering timely and advanced care to rural patients.
In parallel, Apollo Hospitals in India plans to increase its investment in artificial intelligence (AI) to help reduce the workload of its medical staff by automating routine tasks like medical documentation. The hospital chain has allocated 3.5% of its digital budget to AI in the past two years and plans to raise this spending. Apollo's AI tools aim to assist with patient diagnoses, tests, treatment suggestions, and transcription of doctors' notes, as well as creating discharge summaries and daily schedules. The hospital is also developing an AI tool for prescribing the most effective antibiotics. Apollo expects to expand its bed capacity by one-third in four years and hopes the use of AI tools will mitigate a high nurse attrition rate, projected to rise to 30% by the end of fiscal 2025.