On National Doctors’ Day 2025, as India salutes the tireless dedication of its medical community, a quieter, more complex conversation is unfolding in hospitals and clinics: Is artificial intelligence revolutionising healthcare, or complicating it?
With algorithms diagnosing diseases, bots drafting notes, and surgical tools guided by AI precision, the future is undeniably here. But are we ready for it?
Two doctors — Dr. Chepsy C Philip and Dr. Mubashir Parkar — offer grounded, experience-backed perspectives. They see AI as a turning point. “Once, the idea that invisible germs, not foul air, caused disease was ridiculed.
A century later, germ theory became the foundation of modern medicine. Today, artificial intelligence is at a similar turning point in healthcare,” says Dr. Chepsy C Philip, Clinical Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplant Physician, Believers Church Medical College Hospital, Thiruvalla, who believes medicine stands at a defining moment.
According to him, AI is already changing how doctors work. It helps design treatment plans, predicts drug interactions, drafts clinical notes, and supports patient triage in remote regions. It reads scans, identifies errors, and manages schedules faster than a human could. In the near future, a surgeon in Ludhiana might remove a gallbladder in Louisiana using augmented reality goggles and a joystick, he believes.
“This is not just automation. It is transformation,” says Dr Philip. “AI has learned and relearned what many of us spend years mastering. That is a good thing. Standards will rise. Mistakes will reduce. The standard of patient care is rising and will keep moving in a positive direction.”
How AI Is Challenging Young Doctors
Progress comes with challenges. Earlier, generations of doctors built their clinical skills by observing senior physicians and learning through years of patient interactions. Today, AI is absorbing diagnostic patterns, decision-making logic, and clinical knowledge from millions of doctors around the world, and it is doing so instantly, Dr Philip says.
“It does not just learn. It constantly evolves and improves. This presents a major challenge for young doctors, especially if we continue to train them through the same traditional methods. To keep up, they will need more than medical knowledge. They will need adaptability, digital fluency, and the humility to work with a system that has already read the world’s medical textbooks before the first patient arrives.”
As algorithms take over diagnostic tasks, he says, some of the excitement and intellectual satisfaction of solving medical puzzles may fade, adding that the deeper motivation behind medicine must remain. “Only those with true empathy will stay in the profession, not for recognition, but for purpose. Doctors will need to be better than AI to stay relevant. That is a good thing too.”
Dr Philip believes that the doctor of the future must combine clinical judgment with digital awareness, question algorithmic outputs when needed, and never forget to listen to the patient’s heartbeat.
“We have the tools. We have the data. And no, it is not artificial intelligence. It is assistive intelligence.”
‘AI Should Not Replace Clinical Judgement’
Adding to this perspective, Dr. Mubashir Parkar, Cataract and LASIK Surgeon, Dr Agarwals Eye Hospital, Vashi, sees AI as a double-edged development.
“AI can be both helpful and challenging in medicine, and its value really lies in how responsibly it is used,” he says.
AI can sift through massive amounts of medical data to uncover early symptoms of diseases including cancer, cardiovascular issues, and neurological problems, he says, adding that these are sometimes missed even by skilled professionals. “This means faster diagnosis, more accurate treatment plans, and better patient outcomes.”
In addition, Dr Parkar says, AI can personalise treatment, ease administrative tasks, and allow doctors to spend more time with patients instead of paperwork.
However, he emphasises that AI systems are not without risks. “The biggest concern is the data used to train them. If the data is incomplete or biased, the results can be flawed and even dangerous.”
He also cautions against over-dependence. “Poorly designed algorithms can lead to incorrect decisions, especially if they are used without critical thinking. AI should not replace clinical judgement. It should support it.”
Sharing a “deeper concern”, he adds: “Too much reliance on machines can harm the doctor-patient relationship. Empathy, emotional understanding, and trust are things a machine cannot provide.”
Both doctors make it clear that AI is a tool, and not a replacement. If developed and used responsibly, it can transform healthcare for the better, but without proper oversight and training, it could create more problems than it solves, they believe.
“AI should support the human touch, not replace it,” says Dr Parkar. “With responsible regulation, continuous research, and modern medical education, AI can be a powerful asset. But without these precautions, it could become a burden.”
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