New Delhi, February 16 The government is aiming to provide medical students with access to e-books and AI resources to help them develop their skills more effectively. The first phase of this initiative will cover approximately 57 medical colleges in smaller towns and rural areas, according to a senior official from the Ministry of Health.
Speaking at the AI Impact Summit here, Deputy Director General (Medical Education) B Srinivas stated that students from medical colleges in remote areas find it difficult to access e-books and good technical materials, including this AI material.
"Therefore, the government is considering using AI to reach out to these students. We have started the process of securing e-books and digital clinical materials in the National Medical Library, and we are doing this in approximately 57 government medical colleges across the country," Srinivas said.
The government intends to scale up the initiative gradually, he added.
"We plan to include private medical colleges later on. However, since the funding is coming from the government, we are currently focusing only on government institutions," he said.
Building campuses and infrastructure is relatively easy, but developing the knowledge resources takes time, he added.
The panelists discussed how responsible AI can promote health equity by improving access to trusted medical knowledge, clinical decision support, and workforce capacity.
The speakers also discussed bringing together policymakers, healthcare leaders, clinicians, and industry experts, with a focus on trust, transparency, and governance in health AI.
The panel also explored how evidence-based, explainable AI systems can be safely and effectively deployed to strengthen health systems and improve outcomes, particularly in emerging and resource-constrained settings.
