Abstract
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionising healthcare by enhancing diagnostics, treatment planning, and overall patient care. AI applications in healthcare range from early disease detection and predictive analytics to personalised medicine and hospital resource management. The global adoption of AI is transforming the healthcare sector by improving efficiency, reducing human error, and ensuring equitable access to quality healthcare services. The advantages of AI are being harnessed extensively and effectively in the National Health Services (NHS) UK, with the potential to enhance diagnostic capabilities, deliver personalised treatment plans, streamline operations, and improve patient outcomes. As one of the largest publicly funded health services in the world, the NHS is poised to take advantage of AI’s capabilities in addressing some of the most pressing challenges in healthcare delivery. This paper aims to draw from the initiatives and implementation of AI in the NHS and assess the Ayushman Bharath Digital Mission (ABDM), the National Health programme of India. ABDM is the world’s largest government healthcare programme aiming to provide free medical services to over 500M people. AI enablement is a key policy initiative by the Indian Government to augment this digital health mission and work towards the goal of Universal health coverage. This paper aims to provide a constructive overview of the benefits and implementation of AI-adoption, while thoughtfully considering the challenges and ethical implications associated with AI implementations in both the NHS and ABDM.