GenAI can revolutionize healthcare: Siemens Healthineers’ Dileep Mangsuli

Technological advancements, especially in software and generative artificial intelligence (AI), are set to revolutionize healthcare, said Dileep Mangsuli, executive director and head of Development Centre at Siemens Healthineers.

At the Mint Digital Innovation Summit 2024 in Mumbai, Mangsuli highlighted the urgent need for innovation in healthcare as the global population continues to grow.

The world’s population reached 8 billion last year and is projected to hit 9 billion within the next seven years, making it crucial to overcome existing healthcare challenges, Mangsuli emphasized.

“With the population rising, nearly 73% of deaths worldwide are caused by non-communicable diseases like diabetes, cancer, stroke, and cardiovascular diseases. This has highlighted a huge challenge as to how it can be managed,” he said.

Siemens Healthineers, a global healthcare services firm headquartered in Germany, has been actively working to build solutions that ease access to healthcare worldwide.

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The Covid-19 pandemic underscored the continuing challenges in healthcare accessibility and success, contrasting sharply with pre-pandemic perceptions that healthcare was no longer a significant issue, according to Mangsuli.

The world will face a shortage of healthcare workers by 2030, which will exacerbate the crisis.

“In 1978, when WHO had declared ‘health for all’ by the year 2000, everyone thought this achievable. But in 2020, the pandemic was a reality check,” he added.

Innovative solutions with technology

To bridge these gaps, the integration of technology in healthcare will be crucial, Mangsuli said.

Siemens Healthineers is developing the concept of a digital twin to enhance the understanding and treatment of human health. This digital twin can enable clinicians to experiment with treatments and determine the most optimal solutions.

Additionally, a smartphone application linked to the digital twin can help users detect health concerns early, before they become serious. Data from smartwatches and health rings can train the digital twin, potentially improving early healthcare detection.

“The idea is to move from disease management to health and wellness management, which can be a game-changer in the future,” Mangsuli noted.