Dr Gunjan Kishor Sharma, Physician, Healthtech Innovator and Director, MeshApp.ai stresses that to bridge this skill gap, a new breed of edtech and healthtech skilling platforms are stepping in. These platforms are offering industry-aligned, modular, and tech-enabled courses that cater to current and future needs
The healthcare sector in India is on the brink of a technological renaissance. With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, telemedicine, digital therapeutics, and wearable health tech, the line between medicine and technology is rapidly blurring. As the industry embraces innovation, a crucial question emerges: Are we skilling our healthcare workforce fast enough to keep up with the pace of change? According to a WHO-SEARO report, over 47 per cent of India’s healthcare workers are not digitally literate enough to handle next-gen healthtech tools in clinical or field settings.
India, with its vast population and unique healthcare challenges, stands at a crossroads. On one side lies the promise of digital health solutions capable of transforming care delivery. On the other lies a widening skill gap—where the current medical education and skilling infrastructure struggles to meet the demands of a tech-driven healthcare future.
The changing face of Indian healthcare
India’s healthcare industry is projected to reach USD 638 billion by 2025, driven by increased investments, policy reforms like Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), and the adoption of tech-led solutions. Startups, government bodies, and healthcare institutions are now leveraging:
- AI for diagnostics and drug discovery
- IoT-enabled devices for remote monitoring
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs)
- Robotics for surgeries and rehab
- Virtual reality for medical training
- Big data for personalised care and public health surveillance
While technology has opened unprecedented avenues, it has also exposed a gaping void—a workforce equipped to manage, interpret, and operate these solutions at scale.
Skilling the healthcare workforce: A critical need
Traditionally, healthcare education in India has followed a rigid, legacy structure focused on clinical knowledge. However, as digital health becomes a core component of care delivery, non-clinical proficiencies such as data analysis, health informatics, medical software use, and AI interpretation are becoming essential.
According to a report by NITI Aayog, India needs over 1.4 million trained allied healthcare professionals by 2028. This includes roles like:
- Health data analysts
- Medical coders
- Clinical informatics officers
- Telehealth technicians
- Digital health administrators
Unfortunately, most medical colleges and paramedical institutes lack structured curriculum around these emerging disciplines. As a result, the market is seeing an influx of professionals with outdated skills and limited exposure to modern tools.
The rise of healthtech skilling platforms
To bridge this skill gap, a new breed of edtech and healthtech skilling platforms are stepping in. These platforms are offering industry-aligned, modular, and tech-enabled courses that cater to current and future needs. Some notable examples include:
- Medvarsity – offering certifications in telemedicine, health informatics, and more.
- Coursera & edX – with partnerships offering medical AI, biotechnology and digital health courses.
- Skill India Mission – focusing on upskilling allied health workers in partnership with hospitals.
- Private hospital academies – Fortis, Apollo, and others now offer digital health courses as part of internal skilling initiatives.
These platforms provide blended learning formats—combining live sessions, hands-on simulations, and real-world case studies—often in collaboration with healthcare and tech experts. Studies show that hospitals adopting digital training programs for clinicians and staff see up to 30 per cent improvement in care coordination and 20% faster diagnosis turnaround times.
Building a future-ready curriculum
To truly embrace the future of healthtech skilling, India’s educational institutions must undergo a systemic transformation. Key changes should include:
1. Integration of technology into medical curriculum
Institutions must embed health informatics, machine learning applications in medicine, wearable tech, and EHR systems into MBBS and paramedical education.
2. Collaborations with tech companies
Industry-academia partnerships will help design relevant coursework. Companies like GE Healthcare and Siemens already offer training modules in diagnostic imaging and health IT.
3. Incentivising upskilling
Medical professionals should be encouraged through CME (continuing medical education) credits and institutional support to enrol in tech-driven courses.
4. Inclusion of non-clinical professionals
There must be space in the healthcare skilling ecosystem for tech developers, data scientists, and product designers—trained in the nuances of healthcare regulation and patient safety.
5. Government and regulatory support
Bodies like the National Medical Commission (NMC), AICTE, and NSDC need to frame policies to support innovation in curriculum development and certification recognition.
The B2B push: Industry’s role in upskilling
As the demand for digital healthcare expands across diagnostics, pharma, and hospital administration, B2B platforms are playing a major role in healthcare skilling.
Benefits of tech-driven skilling for doctors and professionals
- Time efficiency: Digital learning allows for flexible schedules without disrupting clinical work.
- Wider exposure: Access to global best practices, tools, and technologies.
- Better patient outcomes: Informed professionals make faster, more accurate decisions.
- Career mobility: Skilling opens doors to roles in digital health startups, consulting, and research.
India’s healthcare future depends on how well we prepare our professionals today. The transition towards value-based, tech-led care models cannot succeed without an equally ambitious skilling ecosystem.
It’s time we treat healthtech education not as a luxury, but a necessity—just like stethoscopes and scalpels once were. As healthcare moves beyond hospitals and into homes, apps, and AI algorithms, the real frontier isn’t just technology—it’s people.
And the future belongs to those who are ready to learn.
In a tech-driven healthcare world, real change begins when doctors are empowered not just with stethoscopes, but with the tools to interpret data, leverage AI, and collaborate digitally. Skilling is no longer optional—it’s the lifeline of modern medicine.
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