Siemens Healthineers, a German healthcare solutions and services company is betting on the use of Artificial Intelligence(AI) in healthcare services. It is seeing increased AI adoption in India and aims to innovate and build a stronger R&D muscle in India, according to Dileep Mangsuli, Executive Director and Development Centre Head, Siemens Healthineers.
“AI is essential in healthcare due to a shortage of clinicians resulting in limited patient interaction time. It aids in understanding patients and diseases, improving health management and has applications in diagnostics, medical imaging and generating insights. Siemens Healthineers uses curated data, including clinical images, genomics, longitudinal data to help in precision, disease management and promotion of healthier lifestyles,” Mangsuli told businessline.
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“Syngo Carbon”
Siemens Healthineers has developed 84 AI-supported products and holds over 800 patents related to AI. Each application undergoes extensive testing and validation to ensure safety. The company has solutions like “Syngo Carbon” that can analyse data from various medical devices, not limited to their equipment. It has also created various AI applications, such as the AI RAD companion for radiology and digital twins of heart and liver.
In India, the adoption of AI in healthcare is picking up. Mangsuli notes that AI is being used in radiology to make diagnosis more efficient and in blood testing for early diagnosis based on pathology results. Additionally, despite the growing use of AI, cost structures in healthcare are not changing significantly, especially in price-sensitive markets like India.
He further said that AI adoption could accelerate through initiatives like the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) and public-private partnerships will be impactful. For the company, a long-term goal is to create a human digital twin, incorporating genomics and other factors for early health prediction.
Key focus areas
The company employs over 7,000 people in India, with a focus on high-tech medical technology. It focuses on AI and digital applications, with a significant team in Bangalore dedicated to clinical insights. Siemens’ expertise spans cancer, stroke and cardiovascular diseases.
Siemens has earlier announced to invest ₹1,300 crore over the next five years in an innovation hub in Bengaluru. The innovation hub will be housed in a new campus that will combine R&D and manufacturing to make India a centre of competence for the design and development of entry-level products.
It also plans to hire an additional 1,800 skilled digital tech experts in the next 10 years.
Mangsuli said, “With the innovation hub, we aim to innovate and build a research ecosystem. In this pursuit, we are actively working with the government, academia and various hospitals.”