Government plans AI, e-book access for students in 57 medical colleges

The government is planning to provide medical students with access to e-books and artificial intelligence (AI) resources to help strengthen their skills, with the first phase expected to cover about 57 medical colleges in smaller towns and rural areas, B Srinivas, Deputy Director General (Medical Education), said.

Speaking at the AI Impact Summit, Srinivas noted how students in remote medical colleges often face difficulty accessing e-books and quality technical material, including AI-related resources.

“The government is thinking of using the leverage of AI to reach out to these students … in the National Medical Library we have started the process of securing e-books ans digital clinical material, and we are doing it in around 57 government medical colleges across the country,” Srinivas said.

He added that the initiative will be expanded gradually. “Plans are also on to include private medical colleges. But since the budget is coming from the Government, we are currently concentrating only on government institutions,” he said.

Srinivas noted that while building campuses and infrastructure is relatively easy, developing knowledge resources takes time.

During the session, panelists discussed how responsible AI can advance health equity by improving access to reliable medical knowledge, strengthening clinical decision support, and enhancing workforce capacity.

Speakers also highlighted the importance of collaboration among policymakers, healthcare leaders, clinicians, and industry experts, with an emphasis on trust, transparency, and governance in health AI.

The panel further examined how evidence-based, explainable AI systems can be deployed safely and at scale to strengthen health systems and improve outcomes, particularly in emerging and resource-constrained settings.