National Doctor’s Day 2025 Spotlights AI Helping the Caregivers
Doctors have always been the backbone of our healthcare system, known for their relentless service and commitment, especially during challenging times. National Doctors’ Day, celebrated on July 1st, is a tribute to these health warriors and commemorates the birth and death anniversary of Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, a legendary physician and the second Chief Minister of West Bengal.
This year’s theme, “Behind the Mask: Care for Caregivers,” set by the Indian Medical Association and the Health Ministry, focuses on supporting those who care for us.
In this article, we’ll explore how AI and digital health innovations are stepping up to support doctors and ease their workload, spotlighting the evolving bond between technology and caregiving.
How AI Tools are Assisting Doctors today
According to the latest DHN Survey 2024-2025, 67% of organizations are prioritizing AI-powered, patient-centric solutions, reflecting a fundamental shift in healthcare delivery models. And with AI’s gradually expanding reach in Indian healthcare, we can say that AI will soon be a close-knit companion of the doctors.
Dr. Sukrit Kumar, Co-founder, Blue Circle Medi Services, said, “AI is supporting doctors, enhancing diagnostics, and streamlining patient care. AI tools are easing administrative burdens, allowing doctors to focus more on clinical decision-making and empathy. From early disease detection to personalized treatment plans, AI is transforming healthcare delivery.”
In this light, let us now take a look at how Artificial Intelligence technologies are redefining healthcare and helping doctors in India:
RPM & Telehealth
AI is rapidly transforming telemedicine and remote patient monitoring in India, making healthcare more accessible and efficient. Owing to this, many healthcare facilities in India are slowly adopting AI to expand their RPM capabilities, enabling data-driven, early diagnosis, and timely interventions for remote patients. For instance, UP’s Yashoda Super Speciality Hospital has recently integrated RPM & EWS systems. This move helped the doctors to enhance patient safety, improve clinical outcomes, and boost their operational efficiency.
To spotlight the rapid growth of RPM and telemedicine, DHN hosted a power-packed panel at the DHN Forum 2025. Top healthcare leaders debated breakthroughs in cardiovascular care, data-driven innovation, digitization hurdles, patient-centric care models, and how RPM can scale through research-backed, value-driven strategies.
In telemedicine too, AI is gradually gaining momentum, enabling smarter, faster, and more accurate healthcare delivery. AI-powered chatbots, symptom checkers, and virtual assistants are at the forefront of helping triage patients and expanding access to quality care, especially in rural and underserved regions. A notable example is the Southern Railway’s telemedicine network, launched to improve access to specialist and super-specialist care in remote railway health units. This initiative allows real-time video consultations, enabling medical officers to coordinate directly with specialists in nearby locations and make more informed clinical decisions.
Diagnostics & Preventive Care
Diagnostics, a crucial component for completing an efficient healthcare framework, has joined hands with AI, delivering several innovative tools that allow timely treatment, reduce complications, and reduce healthcare costs. These tools ultimately ease the workload of doctors and healthcare workers.
AI can be a game-changer for cancer care, helping doctors detect the disease early and improving patient outcomes in many cases.
Speaking exclusively with DHN, Dr Rakesh Sharma, Senior Consultant and HOD Medical Oncology at Sanar International Hospital, Gurugram, said, “As a medical oncologist, I can say that technology plays a vital role in the management of cancer patients. From blood investigations to molecular testing, imaging to radiotherapy, artificial intelligence is being explored for next-generation sequencing interpretation and planning treatment. This is a leap towards the future of precision oncology.”
AI-powered diagnostic tools are increasingly being developed to help healthcare practitioners achieve faster and more accurate diagnoses. A prime example is Hyderabad’s Niloufer Hospital, which became the first in India to launch an AI-based, non-invasive blood test tool that delivers key health metrics in under a minute. This tool helped the doctors to deliver faster, more efficient and accessible care, anchored by AI-driven diagnostics.
Wearables & Monitoring
Building on this momentum, wearables and monitoring technologies are also gaining ground in healthcare. These smart devices continuously track vital health metrics such as heart rate, oxygen levels, and activity patterns, enabling real-time insights and proactive intervention, helping doctors keep a check on their personal health and well-being as well.
Sharing thoughts with DHN, Vineet Mehta, Co-Founder & CTO of Alyve Health said, “At Alyve Health, we see AI as an extension to doctors, not a replacement. Whether it’s reducing burnout through automated workflows, identifying early health risks, or guiding preventive care through data-driven nudges. Doctors remain the heart of the health system. AI is becoming their support, validating their decisions, optimizing their time, and, most importantly, preserving their bandwidth. As we celebrate them today, we also commit to building a future where doctors and digital tools work hand in hand for healthier outcomes for every Indian.”
AI-Powered Smart Wearable Devices, such as the one developed by the researchers at Ohio University, are developed to detect early signs of conditions like Parkinson’s disease and diabetic foot ulcers. By monitoring pressure distributions, the tool can identify early signs of Parkinson’s disease, allowing doctors to intervene sooner and slowing disease progression.
Mental Health & Emotional Support
AI is not just transforming clinical care; it also plays a growing role in supporting mental health and emotional well-being. With AI-powered tools like chatbots, mood-tracking apps, and virtual therapy platforms, individuals, including doctors, can access timely support, self-assessments, and guided interventions anytime, anywhere.
India is also moving towards harnessing AI to bridge mental health gaps. Illustrating this, Healthtech Startup Infiheal unveiled an AI-powered mental health tool called Helo. The AI tool is designed to engage users in real-time conversations, assess their mental well-being, and recommend appropriate psychological tests, providing doctors with timely access to critical mental health data.
These tools help bridge the gap between emotional distress and professional help, offering a layer of immediate, non-judgmental, and scalable support. In high-stress professions like healthcare, where burnout and emotional fatigue are common, AI can be a vital ally in promoting mental resilience and early intervention.
Can AI Replace Doctors?
Now, coming to the real question, can AI replace doctors? It is debatable but the fact is AI is rapidly transforming industries by automating tasks, streamlining workflows, and even replacing jobs in manufacturing, customer service, and data analysis. With these advancements, the question naturally arises: Can AI replace doctors too?
While AI is increasingly capable of diagnosing conditions, analyzing scans, and predicting health risks with speed and precision, medicine is more than just pattern recognition. It requires human judgment, empathy, ethical decision-making, and a deep understanding of each patient's unique context and qualities that AI still lacks. So, while AI may redefine the role of doctors, it’s unlikely to truly replace them.
Rather than replacing doctors, AI is better positioned to become a powerful assistant for the doctors, helping them make faster, more informed decisions. By automating routine tasks like scan analysis, patient monitoring, and data entry, AI allows doctors to focus on complex diagnoses, personalized care, and patient communication.
But can we really take that chance with our health by depending entirely on machines? In India, doctors are not just professionals; they're regarded as life-savers, even worshipped as gods in times of crisis. The human touch, empathy, and presence that a doctor brings can never be replicated by a machine.
AI may analyze data, but it cannot act emotionally or make intuitive decisions in a high-stakes emergency. This is especially true in India, where the adoption of advanced healthcare technology is still catching up. In critical moments, it is the human mind and heart that make the difference. Hence, Doctors are not replaceable; they are the pillars of healthcare in our society.
Tools like clinical decision support systems, AI chatbots for triage, and predictive analytics in chronic disease management are already proving how technology can complement medical expertise. In this evolving landscape, the future of healthcare lies not in AI replacing doctors, but in doctors working smarter with AI by their side.
Conclusion
As we celebrate National Doctors’ Day, it’s time we look beyond the white coat and stethoscope. Behind every diagnosis, surgery, and sleepless night stands a doctor who gives their all, often at the cost of their well-being.
In this context, technology, especially AI, emerges as a powerful ally. From diagnostics and administrative automation to wellness monitoring, remote patient care, and robotic-assisted surgeries, AI is redefining how healthcare is delivered. More importantly, it holds the potential to ease the burden on doctors, streamline their workflow, and safeguard their physical and mental health.
This National Doctor’s Day, we at DHN extend our deepest gratitude to every doctor who stands as a pillar of strength in our lives. Whether braving a global crisis like COVID-19 or showing up every day with dedication and compassion, your commitment inspires us all!
To every doctor reading this: Thank you! Thank you for being the healers, the protectors, and the unwavering hope in times of need. You are the heartbeat of healthcare, and today, we celebrate you. Happy Doctors’ Day!
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