Digital Healthcare Report Reveals Indian Hospitals' Progress and Challenges
A comprehensive new report has highlighted a significant transformation underway in India's healthcare sector, driven primarily by digital technologies. The study, titled 'Beyond the Stethoscope: The Digital Pulse of Healthcare,' was jointly prepared by Grant Thornton Bharat and the Association of Healthcare Providers (India) (AHPI). This extensive evaluation assesses the readiness of Indian hospitals for the ongoing digital transition, incorporating insights from hospital executives and senior professionals across the industry.
Foundational Digitization Achieved but Automation Lags
The report presents a detailed analysis of several critical areas, including the strength of existing digital infrastructure, confidence in governance and regulatory compliance, the extent of artificial intelligence adoption, organizational and workforce factors shaping transformation, and sectors expected to attract future investments. One of the most striking findings is that approximately 95% of hospitals have successfully implemented Hospital Information Systems (HIS), indicating that foundational digitization has largely been accomplished across the healthcare sector.
Furthermore, Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and laboratory information systems have been adopted by roughly two-thirds of hospitals, demonstrating substantial progress in digital record-keeping and diagnostic processes. However, despite this high rate of digital system adoption, the level of automation remains surprisingly low. Less than 25% of hospitals currently utilize advanced technologies such as robotic process automation. This significant gap means that administrative processes continue to depend heavily on manual effort, leaving clinicians and hospital staff burdened with extensive documentation and operational workloads.
Operational Efficiency and Future Investment Trends
Another critical insight from the report is that only about 34% of hospitals operate with real-time enterprise dashboards. This deficiency results in slower decision-making cycles and reduced operational efficiency, as healthcare providers lack immediate access to comprehensive data analytics. The overwhelming majority of respondents—over 90%—identified documentation workload as the primary factor accelerating digital transformation, underscoring the urgent need for more automated solutions.
The report concludes that Indian hospitals have made meaningful progress in building foundational digital capabilities. However, advancements in system integration, automation, and governance practices have not kept pace with the rapid adoption of new technologies. With nearly 60% of hospitals planning to increase their digital investments over the coming year, the next stage of transformation is expected to focus less on deploying additional technologies and more on effectively integrating existing systems into healthcare delivery.
This future phase will prioritize ensuring responsible governance and enabling clinicians to use digital tools in ways that improve both clinical outcomes and operational performance. The shift represents a move from mere technology adoption to holistic digital maturity, where seamless integration and efficient utilization become key drivers of healthcare excellence in India.
