New Delhi: Several sectors are using artificial intelligence (AI) to improve processes and systems, and healthcare is a prominent area where this technology is improving service delivery.
Management consulting firm ZS has been using AI to understand and help local communities across India with various treatments. In 2023, it ran Project Anaemia in Valsad to reduce anaemia at the community level by organising health checkup camps in remote areas. It partnered with Shrimad Rajchandra Sarvamangal Trust (a CSR initiative of the central and state governments) in 2023 for this. Using automation, data management and analytics, ZS helped the trust improve data quality and reduce the time spent per patient by 15 per cent . Repeat visits were increased by 1.5x and there was a 30 per cent improvement in patient outcomes.
The initiative has made a difference in the lives of about 83,000 people in FY 2023-2024, including adults, expectant mothers, women of reproductive age, infants and preschool and school-age children.
“When it comes to health equity, we continue to translate our passions into tangible impact to foster a healthier world for all,” said Rohit Bhagwat, Office Managing Principal and Global ESG Committee Member of ZS. “We remain committed to expanding our work to advance health equity globally, improving access and care for underserved communities, expanding representation in clinical development, and supporting legislation and regulation that improves access to healthcare.”
AI, advanced analytics, predictive modelling and other tools have had immense value in driving data-driven and informed decision making, he pointed out.
One of ZS’s ESG priorities is health equity, for which it is focusing on partnering with clients to deploy AI to detect and close gaps in access and care. In Pune, ZS India collaborated with the Seva Arogya Foundation to enhance the quality of life of people living in urban slums. It focused on providing treatments and health awareness support for various diseases like musculoskeletal problems, fungal infections, respiratory tract infections, female and male reproductive system infections.
Of the 601 women screened for anaemia, 136 women were found to be mildly anaemic, 139 moderately anemic, 4 severely anaemic and 322 non-anaemic. With the help of analytics and automation, ZS helped the foundation treat these women and move 106 women from the mild-anaemic to the non-anaemic status. Among the 139 women diagnosed with moderate anemia, 61 progressed to non-anaemic status and 22 progressed to mild anemia. For the remaining four women with severe anaemia, two progressed to non-anaemic status while the other two progressed to mild anaemia.
“At ZS, our ESG goals are aligned with our core values of getting it right, treating people right and doing the right thing. Accomplishment of our goals also requires responsible action at an individual and operational level to build a sustainable and better future for all, which is why we developed targets over the next several years to hold us accountable as we make progress,” said Bhagwat,
In 2023, the company released a report with the World Economic Forum that analysed over 400 AI use cases and interviewed 50 global healthcare leaders. “The report concluded that, to maximise the impact of AI in healthcare, data must be plentiful and representative; applications must be scalable; and AI solutions must be designed with transparency and inclusivity in mind. The latter requires thorough AI ethics and risk mitigation frameworks that reduce data bias,” he said.
AI has largely been leveraged to detect and close health equity gaps. The development and deployment of AI capabilities is driving data-led informed decision-making, thereby opening alternative avenues for sustainable growth, Bhagwat added.
