Hyderabad: A new global report by consulting firm BCG and technology investor Prosus has pointed to artificial intelligence as a potential tool to bridge healthcare and access gaps in Telangana, citing the state’s own Saagu Baagu initiative as a model for how this can work.
The report, titled “AI for All,” singles out Saagu Baagu, a Telangana government programme that combines soil testing with AI-based crop advisory for farmers, as a national example of AI being used to solve access problems rather than simply improve efficiency for those already well served. According to the report, the initiative helped reduce input use for farmers by about nine percent, translating into meaningful income gains per acre for the state’s farming community.
At the national level, the report argues that India’s biggest opportunity with AI lies in closing basic access gaps rather than simply boosting efficiency for those already well served. It notes that India has roughly one doctor for every 811 people, with more than two-thirds of the population living in Tier-2 towns and smaller cities served by only about a third of the country’s doctors. The report calls for AI systems built around India’s specific realities, including support for regional languages, low-bandwidth environments and first-time smartphone users, rather than adaptations of tools designed for developed markets.
The report’s broader argument centres on healthcare access, an area where Telangana’s own gaps mirror the national picture. While Hyderabad hosts some of the country’s leading hospitals and health tech companies, rural and semi-urban districts across the state continue to face shortages of specialists and diagnostic infrastructure, including limited availability of MRI and other imaging services.
According to RBI data from a 2024 report, Telangana faces a shortfall of 79 specialists at Community Health Centres, with only 37 in position against a requirement of 116, forcing patients in remote areas to travel long distances for surgical, gynaecological or paediatric care.
Various attempts by the state administration have been made to overcome this limitation, including schemes like the Telangana Diagnostic Scheme, which provides inexpensive imaging and pathology through a hub-and-spoke model, as well as converting rural sub-centres into “Palle Dawakhanas,” offering telemedicine consultations from specialists. However, these initiatives lack uniform availability.
On the other hand, the report recommends Artificial Intelligence-supported diagnosis systems to make limited doctors cover even bigger areas. AI tutors can be an alternative for overcoming learning deficits in regional language education; this is also applicable to Telangana, where both Telugu and Urdu medium schools exist.
The results will contribute to the discussion about how Telangana can build on its efforts in becoming an agricultural technology and health technology innovation centre through programs such as Saagu Baagu, extending specialist health care and diagnostic services from Hyderabad to other districts and rural communities of Telangana.
This post was last modified on July 8, 2026 1:57 pm