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The National Health Authority (NHA) and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur have signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop digital public goods aimed at revolutionising Artificial Intelligence in healthcare.
This partnership, established under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), focuses on creating innovative AI-driven solutions to improve health outcomes in India. The signing ceremony, held in the presence of Union Health Secretary Shri Apurva Chandra, saw the participation of Ms L.S. Changsan, Additional Secretary and CEO of NHA and Professor Manindra Agrawal, Director of IIT Kanpur.
The MoU focuses on developing a federated learning platform that integrates machine learning pipelines, a quality-preserving database, and an open benchmarking system for validating AI models. IIT Kanpur will also create a consent management system to support ABDM research, with the platform governed by NHA to enhance diagnosis, treatment, and health outcomes in India through AI.
Shri Apurva Chandra highlighted the importance of this partnership, noting that it will establish a robust benchmarking platform for validating AI models under ABDM. By addressing the challenge of limited diagnostic data, the collaboration aims to improve health outcomes through access to high-quality data. The platform will enable AI models to be tested against public standards, fostering transparency and trust in healthcare applications.
Ms Changsan emphasised that the partnership represents a significant advancement in using AI to benefit India’s healthcare system. By providing researchers with high-quality data and fostering collaboration, the platform addresses data privacy while promoting innovation. The open benchmarking system will speed up the development of AI-driven health solutions for major health challenges, marking a milestone in strengthening the nation’s digital health infrastructure.
Professor Manindra Agrawal, Director of IIT Kanpur, expressed his confidence that this partnership with the NHA would play a transformative role in democratising access to quality healthcare. By partnering with the NHA, IIT Kanpur aims to create a platform that empowers researchers, healthcare providers, and policymakers to fully unlock AI’s potential in improving health outcomes. The platform will provide a trustworthy foundation for AI models in healthcare, addressing the long-standing issues of data fragmentation and inefficiency in accessing quality health data.
The MoU outlines several key benefits for healthcare stakeholders. The first is the creation of trustworthy AI models by allowing developers to perform out-of-set validation and establish publicly verifiable performance benchmarks. This will build consumer trust in healthcare AI applications, ensuring that these technologies are reliable and effective.
Additionally, the platform will streamline data access by addressing the fragmentation of health data in India. Researchers will be able to access and analyse health data without it leaving the custody of data fiduciaries, ensuring data security and privacy. Another critical aspect is the preservation of statistical quality – healthcare data, being costly to acquire, will be protected against statistical dredging, ensuring openness and fostering innovation without compromising the integrity of the data.
This collaboration is seen as a major step forward in integrating AI into India’s healthcare system. The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission aims to create a comprehensive digital health ecosystem that integrates public and private sectors, including hospitals, clinics, labs, pharmacies, and health insurance companies. By leveraging the power of AI, this initiative has the potential to significantly improve disease diagnosis, treatment planning, and patient outcomes across India.
The MoU between NHA and IIT Kanpur underscores the importance of technology in healthcare and reflects the government’s commitment to enhancing healthcare accessibility, affordability, and quality through AI and digital innovation. This partnership is expected to lay the foundation for future advancements in AI-driven healthcare, positioning India as a leader in digital public health infrastructure.
