AI to Boost Medical Imaging Market in India

Radiology has always been the first to adopt technology in the medical industry in India. Given how artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning have influenced and improved picture quality and acquisition in India over the years, it will not be long until AI takes over the existing diagnostic imaging industry, according to GlobalData.  
 
The company’s research reveals that Indian diagnostic imaging market, which accounted for 14 percent of the Asia-Pacific market in 2021, is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 8 percent through 2030.
 
“Across the world, the COVID-19 induced life of quarantine and ‘work from home’ has led to the extensive spread of sedentary lifestyles. It has been affecting a certain working population, thereby necessitating an increased diagnosis. This is where AI is expected to deliver a speedy and accurate diagnosis. AI-based models can detect age-related irregularities in a person’s body and generate a thorough and predicted report,” said Ayshi Ganguly, a medical devices associate analyst at GlobalData. “Consequently, AI relieves radiologists of a significant portion of their labor by improving image acquisition processing and image quality, and radiologists’ perception and reasoning of clinical interpretation, and thereby provides accurate and better reports.”
 
Despite its extensive clinical validation in India, AI faces two key obstacles. The adoption of AI in the radiology industry is taking longer than expected, not only because it is expensive, but also because different companies are installing different workflow solutions in radiology devices. In addition, incorporating machine learning makes it more time-consuming for radiologists to learn, and requires a specialized IT team.
 
“The downsides of AI implementation are yet to be mitigated, but hospitals and diagnostic centers are expected to integrate AI-based imaging models to improve the patient management decisions by providing a better workflow solution and thus boosting the medical imaging business over the next decade,” Ganguly said.