Mumbai, July 11
Lower back pain is a national crisis that can affect the country’s productivity, said Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani on Friday, urging entrepreneurs to build India’s first AI-powered spinal diagnostic platform.
He was addressing the 5th Annual Conference of the Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery-Asia Pacific (SMISS-AP), in Mumbai.
The Adani Group Chairman expressed shock over lower back pain becoming a leading cause of disability in the country and noted how it can destroy the dreams of the nation.
“I was shocked to learn that low back pain is now a leading cause of disability in India, ahead of conditions like diabetes and heart disease. India is facing a spinal epidemic, a silent crisis far more widespread than global averages. Nearly 1 in 2 adult Indians experience low back pain every year,†Gautam Adani told the gathering.
“This is not merely a health issue. It is a national crisis measured not just in pain, but in lost productivity, mounting healthcare costs, and destroyed dreams,†the Adani Group Chairman added.
The billionaire industrialist called for “entrepreneurial imagination†to develop AI-based and low-cost treatments to heal the spine that can help “carry the full weight of national ambitionâ€.
"I would urge you to consider that one of you build India’s first AI-powered spinal diagnostic platform that detects degeneration long before disability,†said the Adani Group Chairman.
“The spine you save today may belong to the engineer who designs tomorrow’s bridges, the farmer who feeds our cities, the scientist who invents our next vaccine, or the entrepreneur who builds our next billion-dollar company,†Gautam Adani added.
The industrialist also urged entrepreneurs to "reimagine rural surgery†and create “low-cost, high-impact mobile operating theatres that bring hope to villagesâ€.
Further, the Adani Group Chairman called for pioneering a spinal hospital that can become “a global centre for robotic surgery, regenerative medicine, and next-gen bio-integrated implantsâ€.
Gautam Adani also pledged the support of his company to keep up the “momentum for healthcare†in the country. “The Adani Group stands ready to walk with you and we have already embarked on our journey. Three years ago, on my 60th birthday, my family pledged Rs 60,000 crore towards healthcare, education, and skill development," he noted.
Gautam Adani stated that Adani Group will build “a system that evolves with science, responds to shifting needs, and harnesses the full power of AI without losing sight of the human at the centreâ€.
The approach will be “a comprehensive, multidisciplinary model that breaks traditional silos†and help “clinical care, academic training, and research to operate in syncâ€.
“We are investing in modular, scalable infrastructure, of the kind that can expand rapidly in the face of pandemics or emergencies. We are championing the creation of large, world-class healthcare institutes that bring together innovation, patient care, and applied learning under one roof,†Gautam Adani added.
The Adani Group Chairman also noted the importance of “fostering doctors with skills in robotics, AI, systems thinking, and healthcare management†and include “empathy, ethics, and enterprise†beyond anatomy in their education.
In addition, Gautam Adani informed of “investing in building top-tier training institutes and establishing rigorous protocols to ensure that quality becomes a habit, not an exceptionâ€.
“We are here to build India’s healthcare for tomorrow and a system that is integrated, intelligent, inclusive, and inspired. And we will be delivering on this promise through the Adani Healthcare Temples -- 1,000-bed integrated campuses that we will initiate from Ahmedabad and Mumbai,†he said.
“These are designed to be world-class, affordable, AI-first healthcare ecosystems -- and we are proud to have the Mayo Clinic guiding us on the design, implementation, and global standards in medical infrastructure and research,†the industrialist emphasised.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Great initiative but I hope this won't become another expensive treatment only for the rich. The real test will be making it accessible to farmers and laborers who suffer the most from back problems due to hard physical work.
As a software engineer working in healthcare tech, this is exactly the kind of challenge we should be solving! India has the talent to build world-class AI solutions for our own problems. Kudos to Adani for spotlighting this issue.
The mobile operating theatres for villages idea is brilliant! My cousin in rural MP had to travel 200km for her slipped disc surgery. More focus needed on tier 2/3 cities and villages where basic spine care is non-existent.
While the vision is commendable, I hope this doesn't become another corporate CSR showpiece. We need sustainable solutions with proper follow-up care, not just flashy AI tech that looks good in annual reports.
As a physiotherapist, I can confirm this is a massive issue! Most patients come to us when it's too late. Early AI detection could prevent so much suffering. But we also need more awareness about posture and preventive care in schools/offices.
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