Kerala Health Department Implements AI Tools for Patient Care & Early Diagnosis

AI tools are set to be deployed on a pilot basis in medical colleges and major government hospitals for stroke detection and related treatment protocols.

The Kerala Health Department is exploring the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance operational efficiency in patient care and disease diagnosis.

AI tools are set to be deployed on a pilot basis in medical colleges and major government hospitals for stroke detection and related treatment protocols.

The technology will also be used to speed up early detection of cervical cancer through Pap smear slide analysis.

The Kerala Development and Innovation Strategic Council (K-DISC) is supporting the health department in this initiative, including data validation processes. AI tools are also under consideration for diabetic retinopathy screening and are being integrated into the government’s Nayanamrita eye care program.

At Thiruvananthapuram General Hospital, patients who have lost mobility due to stroke, spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s disease, or accidents are being trained to walk using a G Gaiter developed by startup Gen Robotics.

The system incorporates AI-driven movement patterns and has already benefited hundreds of patients. This marks the first installation of such a device in a government hospital in India.

Looking ahead, several foreign insurance companies targeting middle-income families are expected to enter Kerala, bringing global capacity centres to assist their operations. They plan to leverage next-generation AI technologies to assess genetic and family health data for premium calculations.

However, AI-assisted treatments may not be fully covered under insurance policies. Insurance advisor Viswanathan Odatt noted that companies are unlikely to pay 100% of treatment costs for AI-based therapies.

He emphasised the need for government guidelines and data-sharing frameworks to enable insurers to accurately integrate AI treatments into coverage plans.

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