Technology can simplify many aspects of public health. Whether it is communication, surveillance, or spreading awareness, digital platforms help us reach people faster.
Published Nov 25, 2025 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 25, 2025 | 9:03 AM
Dr Sharon Baisil says AI systems pick up early signals, sometimes weeks in advance, and help medical care professionals to prepare better.
Synopsis: With the right rules, monitoring and accountability, AI can be used safely. India already has strong digital public health platforms, and adding privacy-focused frameworks around them will make the system even more reliable.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has cast its influence on almost all fields, including healthcare. Dr Sharon Baisil, Associate Professor in Community Medicine and Assistant Medical Superintendent at the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Medical College in Ernakulam, spoke about how AI can strengthen disease surveillance, why ethical safeguards matter, and what Kerala can do next.
Excerpts from the interview with South First on the sidelines of Dakshin Health Summit.
Q. How important is AI in public health, and what should governments focus on while integrating it?
A: AI is now influencing every field, and public health is no exception. In India, the conversation is still new, but internationally, AI in public health is already well established. It is being used to detect early signals of outbreaks and understand disease patterns more quickly than traditional systems.
One example is BlueDot, an AI platform that scans global data streams, news reports, official alerts, and information from different countries to flag unusual health events.
These systems do not wait for a disease to fully manifest itself. They pick up early signals, sometimes weeks in advance, and help us prepare better. Such early warning is something India and Kerala can benefit from it too.
If governments want to integrate AI, the first step is to accept that these tools can strengthen—not replace—our traditional systems. Building structured datasets, improving digital reporting, and enabling departments to share information are key. Once those foundations exist, AI can support surveillance, prediction, and timely response.
Q. You’ve developed health apps, digital platforms, and initiated startups. How did this journey start, and what inspired you?
My journey started during the COVID-19 pandemic. Back then, we needed tools that could help track cases, guide people, and support healthcare workers. I began developing small digital solutions to solve practical problems. Many of these tools became useful, and that encouraged me to keep going.
Over time, I realised that technology can simplify many aspects of public health. Whether it is communication, surveillance, or spreading awareness, digital platforms help us reach people faster. It motivated me. Whenever I saw a gap, I tried to build something that could fill it.
More recently, I’ve been exploring how AI can support these solutions. My interest is not in high-end technology alone, but in technology that actually reaches the public and helps the system work more efficiently.
Q. With AI growing so rapidly, ethical concerns and data privacy are major issues. How do you think public health should address these concerns?
Ethics and privacy are important. In healthcare, we deal with sensitive personal information, and if people feel their data is unsafe, they will not trust the system. So as AI grows, our responsibility also grows.
I believe data should be collected with consent, stored securely, and used only for the purpose it was gathered. Transparency is essential. People need to know why their data is being collected and how it will help public health.
At the same time, we should not fear technology. With the right rules, monitoring and accountability, AI can be used safely. India already has strong digital public health platforms, and adding privacy-focused frameworks around them will make the system even more reliable.
Q. What are the new initiatives you are planning in AI, public health, and research?
I am currently exploring projects that use AI for early detection of outbreaks. The idea is to analyse multiple data sources and identify unusual health patterns before they become big problems. This can make our response faster and more targeted.
Another area I’m interested in is using technology to support medical education and community health training. Tools that simplify complex information can help both healthcare workers and the general public.
Research-wise, I want to understand how AI can be adapted in Kerala’s context. Our disease patterns, reporting structures, and community behaviour are unique. So solutions need to be designed with local realities in mind.
Q. Kerala recently reported fatal cases of brain-eating (Naegleria fowleri) amoeba. How can AI and the One Health approach help us understand and prevent such infections?
Cases like the brain-eating amoeba are alarming because they appear suddenly and create fear. Early understanding is very important in such situations.
AI can help by analysing environmental data, clinical patterns, and case histories to identify areas or conditions where such infections are more likely to occur. Instead of reacting after the first case, we can detect early signals and issue timely warnings.
The One Health approach is also crucial because infections like these are closely linked to water quality, climate, and environmental changes.
When human health, animal health, and environmental data come together, we get a clearer picture. AI can combine these datasets and give us insights that manual systems may miss.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
