NHA and IIT Kanpur Partner to Develop AI-Driven Healthcare Solutions Under ABDM

Shri Apurva Chandra praised the collaboration, emphasizing that it would provide a public benchmarking platform for comparing AI models and improve health outcomes using data available under ABDM.

The National Health Authority (NHA) and IIT Kanpur have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop a groundbreaking AI-driven platform aimed at improving health outcomes in India. The MoU was signed by Ms. L. S. Changsan, Additional Secretary, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare & CEO of NHA, and Prof. Manindra Agrawal, Director of IIT Kanpur, in the presence of Union Health Secretary Shri Apurva Chandra.

This collaboration will lead to the creation of a federated learning platform that integrates various machine learning model pipelines, a quality-preserving database, and an open benchmarking platform for validating AI models. The initiative is a key part of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) and aims to improve disease diagnosis and healthcare delivery using AI technologies. The platform will also include a consent management system for research, ensuring privacy and transparency in data usage.

Shri Apurva Chandra praised the collaboration, emphasizing that it would provide a public benchmarking platform for comparing AI models and improve health outcomes using data available under ABDM. He highlighted the challenge of accessing reliable diagnosis data in healthcare, which this partnership aims to address by creating an open, trustworthy, and quality-preserving system for AI model validation.

Ms. Changsan remarked that the partnership would accelerate the development of AI-powered healthcare solutions while maintaining data privacy, fostering collaboration, and enhancing the digital public health infrastructure. Prof. Agrawal added that the partnership would democratize access to quality healthcare in India, empowering researchers and healthcare providers to unlock AI's full potential for better health outcomes.

The platform is expected to offer several benefits, including fostering trust in AI models through verifiable performance benchmarks, improving access to health data, and protecting the quality of healthcare data. This initiative will serve as a milestone in leveraging AI for digital public health goods in India.