NHA & IIT Kanpur Sign MoU to Leverage AI for Healthcare under ABDM

The MoU will establish a public benchmark for AI models, allowing researchers and developers to validate and enhance their AI tools using data from the ABDM.

In a significant development, the National Health Authority (NHA) and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop a cutting-edge platform that will utilize Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve health outcomes.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra, with LS Changsan, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and CEO of NHA, and Professor Manindra Agrawal, Director of IIT Kanpur, representing their respective institutions.

The partnership aims to create a federated learning platform with advanced features such as a quality-preserving database, an open benchmarking platform for comparing and validating AI models, and a consent management system for research under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM).

Once developed, the platform will be governed and operated by the NHA, paving the way for AI’s immense potential to be harnessed in improving healthcare outcomes across India.

Aligns with ABDM

Health Secretary Chandra emphasized the importance of this MoU in the context of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission.

"This partnership will provide an open public benchmarking platform for comparing and validating AI models," he said, adding that the use of data to improve health outcomes is the primary goal of this collaboration.

Chandra also highlighted the key challenge in the healthcare sector: the availability and efficacy of disease diagnosis data.

He stated, "One of the biggest issues related to AI models in healthcare is the availability of reliable diagnosis data. This partnership will help overcome that challenge, leading to better outcomes and diagnosis in clinical settings."

The MoU will help create a public benchmark for AI models, enabling researchers and developers to validate and improve their AI tools using data available under the ABDM.

"The platform will create a public benchmark for AI models, allowing them to be quantified and benchmarked against one another for improved diagnosis and treatment," Chandra added.

LS Changsan, CEO of NHA, remarked on the transformative potential of this partnership, stating, "This MoU marks a significant step forward in harnessing the power of AI for India's healthcare system. It will provide researchers with access to high-quality data and create a collaborative platform for all stakeholders in the health ecosystem while ensuring data privacy."

Changsan also stressed that this partnership will accelerate the development of AI-powered solutions addressing critical health challenges.

Sharing thoughts, IIT Kanpur's Director, Prof Manindra Agrawal, said, "This partnership will contribute to democratizing access to quality healthcare in India. Our goal is to empower researchers, healthcare providers, and policymakers by unlocking the full potential of AI to improve health outcomes."

Key Benefits of the Platform

The platform being developed as part of this MoU will offer several key benefits, including:

- Trustworthy AI Models: The platform will allow healthcare AI providers to perform genuine out-of-set validation and establish publicly verifiable performance benchmarks, fostering consumer trust.

- Improved Data Access: By addressing the fragmentation of health data in India, the platform will make it easier for researchers to access and analyze healthcare data while ensuring data remains in the custody of its fiduciaries.

- Statistical Quality Preservation: The platform will protect healthcare data against statistical misuse, maintaining openness and innovation without compromising data quality.

The signing ceremony was attended by several senior officials, including Punya Salila Srivastava, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) at the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Kiran Gopal Vaska, Mission Director (ABDM), NHA, and representatives from IIT Kanpur.