Amaravati: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday announced that digital health records being developed under the Sanjeevani project in Kuppam, Chittoor district, will be extended across Andhra Pradesh within a year, marking a major push towards technology-driven preventive healthcare. Reviewing the implementation of healthcare initiatives at the state Secretariat, the Chief Minister said the pilot project, being executed with the cooperation of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, would soon cover the entire population.

A 10-member national and international expert advisory team on public health participated in the meeting virtually.

Naidu said the government would focus on preventive healthcare by leveraging digital tools and artificial intelligence, rather than merely treating diseases after they occur. He said digitalisation of health records would help identify and analyse the top ten diseases affecting the population and significantly reduce medical expenses. The Chief Minister asked the expert panel to help showcase Andhra Pradesh’s digital healthcare initiatives at the upcoming Global AI Convention in Mumbai.

Referring to the success of the Mustabu programme aimed at improving personal hygiene among tribal students, the Chief Minister said the NDA government was committed to building a “healthy, wealthy and happy Andhra Pradesh”. He stressed that effective implementation at the grassroots level was critical to the success of any policy.

Interacting with the expert panel, former WHO chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan underlined the importance of nutrition, availability of doctors and nurses, and the impact of pollution on public health. UNAIDS founding Executive Director Peter Piot said public health should not be viewed purely as a medical issue, as it was influenced by multiple social and environmental factors.

Former Union secretary Aarti Ahuja highlighted the need for root-cause analysis of diseases and expressed concern over the rising number of dialysis cases among youth due to pollution. Prof Yik-Ying Teo of the National University of Singapore said AI and digital health records could help deliver more efficient healthcare services. Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health’s Margaret Elizabeth Kruk noted Andhra Pradesh’s effective utilisation of the Hepatitis vaccine.

Khosla Labs founder Srikanth Nadhamuni said AI-enabled health services were becoming central to public healthcare delivery, while NABH Chairperson Dr Rizwan Koita observed that Andhra Pradesh was emerging as a hub for digital healthcare. AIIMS Delhi’s Dr Nikhil Tandon stressed early diagnosis and risk assessment, and AIG Hospitals Chairman Dr D Nageswara Reddy said health education from a young age was essential.

Gates Foundation India Country Director Archana Vyas said an action plan would be prepared based on expert recommendations, including the formation of a health secretariat to monitor public health outcomes. Health Minister Satyakumar Yadav said the expert inputs would guide the state’s healthcare reforms. The Chief Minister directed officials to hold such expert consultations every six months.