Staff Reporter
Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan has said technology cannot replace the human touch of a medical doctor. He emphasized the importance of compassion among doctors in an era of rapid progress in AI and digital health.
Mr Radhakrishnan was addressing the graduation ceremony of SUT Academy of Medical Sciences in Thiruvananthapuram today. He urged young doctors to be clear and precise in their communication.
In this context, he said, the inauguration of Robotic Surgery and Computer-Aided Diagnosis facilities at the Institute is significant and reflects the importance of keeping medical education and healthcare aligned with technological progress.
However, he stressed that technology must never displace the human dimension of medicine. “Technology can assist a doctor, but it cannot replace the human aspects of a doctor,” he said. “A machine can analyse. A robot can assist. An algorithm can identify patterns. But a patient still needs a doctor who can listen, understand, reassure and take responsibility,” he added.
The Vice-President urged the graduates to protect the trust represented by the white coat by being accurate in diagnosis, honest in communication, compassionate in treatment and ethical in every decision.He emphasised that scientific excellence and human compassion must always go together.
The Vice-President said Bharat is striding confidently towards the vision of Viksit Bharat @ 2047 articulated by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.He said the Prime Minister has emphasised that Viksit Bharat can be achieved only when every State, district and village develops, and noted that access to higher education is at the core of this national vision.
Highlighting the expansion of medical education over the past twelve years, Shri C.P.Radhakrishnan said that while there was only one AIIMS in New Delhi earlier, 12 new AIIMS have been established.
The Vice President pointed out that Viksit Bharat can only be achieved when every village is developed. Twelve new AIIMS institutes have been established under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Kerala will also get an AIIMS in the near future, he added.
The ceremony was attended by Governor of Tamil Nadu and Keralam Shri Rajendra Viswanath Arlekar; Minister for Labour, Animal Husbandry and Women and Child Development, Government of Keralam, Smt. Bindhu Krishna; Chairman, SUT Academy of Medical Sciences, Dr. A. C. Shanmugam; Vice Chancellor, Kerala University of Health Sciences, Dr. Mohanan Kunnummal; faculty, staff, graduating students and their families.