AI won’t replace doctors, but those not using AI will be replaced

Doctors around the world who do not use artificial intelligence to assist in early disease detection may increasingly become redundant, a top surgeon has said.

Dr Atul Gawande, a renowned American surgeon and writer who is also the Global Health Chief at the US Agency for International Development (USAID), said, “What we are seeing is that artificial intelligence (AI) will not replace doctors, but a doctor who does not know how to use AI will be replaced by someone who is a physician or another clinician who uses the technology.”

Dr Gawande, who is in India to promote the US-India Global Health Partnership, a key element in the overall strategic relationship between the two countries, pointed out that the benefits of AI systems are already apparent.

“One of the things that’s been developed is chest X-ray systems that can be read by an AI (system) immediately,” the doctor said, adding that this means there is an instant assessment of the condition of a patient. This, in turn, would result in drastically quicker treatment, which can help save lives.

“A primary healthcare nurse or physician has access to specialised capability at the very frontline. And that can result in faster, earlier detection of tuberculosis, one of our biggest killers,” he said.

‘India key vaccine base’
Dr Gawande said India, the global leader in manufacturing vaccines, will continue to play a key role in the future in meeting needs emanating from any new pandemic that emerges.

”India’s capacity for vaccines has now become the most important manufacturing base in the world for vaccines. The supply chain of Indian vaccines means that we need the capacity not only to make sure that it is serving India, but that it can serve the entire world, even in a crisis,” he emphasised.

Highlighting USAID’s role, he said the organisation is set to roll out new vaccines, including a low-cost malaria jab, as part of its engagement with Indian manufacturers. ”This is a huge deal,” he said.

Antibiotic overuse
Addressing a big concern in India over the overuse of antibiotics, Dr Gawande says there is an overwhelming need to regulate the use of these drugs.

“Many people, including here in India, will get an antibiotic and immediately stop taking it when they feel better. But that’s how you create a resistant infection. You have to take the full course. If I had one message, that’s the number one thing, if you’re asked to take an antibiotic for two weeks, take the antibiotic for two weeks.”

Pollution deaths
Air pollution, now empirically identified as a global killer, is also an area that Dr Gawande tracks closely.

“Twenty-five per cent of deaths that occur prematurely will be because of environmental reasons that need policy and solutions. And the biggest one is air pollution, which causes lung problems, but also causes increases in heart disease and heart attacks. When you see the air pollution index go up, you immediately see (cases of) heart attacks showing up in the hospitals,” the USAID global health chief said.

The consequent fatality rate is tremendous. ”This is more than five million deaths a year out of the 50 million deaths a year just from air pollution,” he pointed out.

This is a bigger concern for India because, earlier this week, a report by IQAir – a Swiss-based air quality monitoring group – ranked the country as the world’s third-most polluted last year. Delhi emerged as the most polluted capital city.

Government engagement
Dr Gawande, who is on his first trip to India as the USAID Assistant Administrator for Global Health, reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to partnering with India to move forward shared global health and development priorities, a statement by the US embassy said.

He met officials from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to advance the US-India health partnership and also interacted with entrepreneurs, innovators, and experts who have been supported by the US government to develop and scale healthcare solutions.

Ahead of World Tuberculosis Day (on Sunday), he also participated in an event to commemorate 25 years of USAID’s collaboration with India’s National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme. NDTV