Engineers are revolutionizing healthcare by using technology to enhance various aspects of healthcare: Experts

Indian digital technology is placing engineers as the pivot of healthcare innovation and recognizing them as the fulcrum for transforming the future of medical care. Their expertise is crucial in integrating technology with healthcare systems, ensuring efficient, personalized, and scalable solutions that meet the evolving needs of the population.

As India embraces digital transformation, engineers are key to shaping a smarter, healthier future for all, contended Tata Elxsi, Ascendion and Medibuddy on the occasion of the National Engineers’ Day observed annually on September 15 in honour of Bharat Ratna Sir M. Visvesvaraya, one of India’s greatest engineers and nation-builders.

Bhavesh Shaha, practice head, product engineering, Tata Elxsi, said that engineers are revolutionizing healthcare by using technology to enhance various aspects of healthcare; it goes beyond merely constructing medical equipment. They are transforming healthcare by creating sophisticated diagnostic equipment, wearable sensors, and telemedicine systems that allow for quicker and more precise diagnoses, and customized treatment. Additionally, they assist in integrating AI and machine learning into clinical equipment, allowing healthcare professionals to make faster and better decisions. They aim at hospital efficiency, optimizing utilization of facilities such as beds, and finding workarounds for challenges such as shortages of physicians. This serves to facilitate a transition in healthcare, from a treatment-based reactive regime to a proactive regimen spearheading integration of newer technologies like robotics, digital twin-based hospital planning, AI imaging, and cloud healthcare platforms.

Through the creation of smart systems that leverage the data from wearables and connected devices to forecast disease, engineers are enhancing the future of preventive healthcare. Engineers are finally catalysing and constructing an improved safer, smarter, and more resilient healthcare system for all,, he added.

On a similar note was Naveen Krishnamoorthy, director, Healthcare AI Solutions, Ascendion stating that engineers with the rise of artificial intelligence and Agentic AI, are not just creating tools but are empowering systems to think, decide, and innovate alongside us. In India, engineers are architecting a healthcare revolution. Start-ups and research institutions are developing powerful algorithms to detect diseases from medical images. A prime example is using AI for early-stage breast cancer detection, a non-invasive, radiation-free method with immense promise for underserved communities.

This progress is guided by the principle of ‘frugal innovation,’ which has catalyzed scalable, low-cost solutions from the iconic prosthetic limb that has transformed millions of lives to portable ECG machines and affordable ventilators. Supported by the government's Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, our locally engineered solutions are also gaining global recognition with growing Medtech exports, he added.

According to Enbasekar D, co-founder and CTO, MediBuddy, “Healthcare is one of the most complex systems to design shaped by high patient volumes, varied digital infrastructure, and the need for accuracy at scale. Addressing these challenges requires more than medical expertise. It calls for engineering that can translate complexity into dependable and inclusive systems.”

Scalable digital frameworks allow millions of consultations to take place seamlessly. Integrated networks connect diagnostics, pharmacies, and hospitals, reducing fragmentation in patient journeys. Artificial intelligence contributes by supporting doctors with clinical insights, while monitoring systems ensure continuity of care. Equally important are safeguards such as fraud detection mechanisms, which add transparency and strengthen trust. At MediBuddy, these innovations converge within a single digital ecosystem, reflecting how engineering brings structure and reliability to healthcare delivery, he added.