‘Telangana aims to be healing capital of the world through AI-driven healthcare'
Telangana is setting its sights on becoming the 'healing capital of the world' by embedding Artificial Intelligence (AI), advanced data systems, and cutting-edge research into every layer of its healthcare infrastructure, said IT and Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu on Saturday.
He was speaking at the 'AI in Healthcare' conference hosted by Yashoda Hospital in Hyderabad. The State's vision to lead a global transformation in affordable and quality healthcare, powered by innovation and technology, was discussed at the meet.
'We have long been the pharmacy capital of the world, now we want to be seen as its healing capital. We are not just following the global healthcare revolution. Telangana intends to lead it, with Hyderabad at the centre,' the Minister said.
Pointing to the State's affordability advantage, he said that Hyderabad offers high-quality medical procedures such as IVF, heart surgeries, and joint replacements at 70% to 90% lower costs compared to the West, without compromising on standards. 'It is not just about cost, it's about quality, care, and value. Telangana is delivering all three,' he said.
He highlighted the need for proactive investments in innovation, research, and preventive healthcare. 'Our healthcare system cannot be reactive. It must stay ten steps ahead and for that, we must adopt technologies like AI, quantum computing, and data science at scale,' he said.
He further added that Telangana is building hyperscale data centres, medical device manufacturing clusters, and a vibrant health-tech startup eco-system. 'We are training 2 lakh AI engineers and nurturing over 900 AI startups. Most of India's AI healthcare startups are based in Telangana,' the Minister said.
The conference also featured insights from global technology leaders on the future of AI in healthcare. Chandu Thota, Vice President of Engineering at Google, described AI as one of the 'moonshot' solutions for the future of medicine.
Michael D. Howell, Chief Clinical Officer at Google, highlighted the impact of AI on clinical decision-making and drug discovery. 'AI must be integrated into medicine with transparency, accountability, and empathy. Where drug discovery used to take a decade, AI can now identify promising treatments in months by analysing vast datasets, from clinical trials to genomics. This will make personalized medicine not just possible, but practical,' he said in his keynote address.
Gorukanti Ravinder Rao, Founder and Chairman of Yashoda Group of Hospitals, reinforced the human-centric promise of AI in surgical care. 'AI is not here to replace doctors, it is here to empower them,' he said.
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