Hyderabad AI Innovation Enhances Cancer Care Journey
HYDERABAD: A collaborative research initiative led by Christian Medical College (CMC) Vellore and the International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad (IIIT Hyderabad) is developing a multilingual artificial intelligence platform designed to improve communication and support for cancer patients between hospital visits. The project reflects a growing effort to integrate responsible AI into healthcare while making specialised medical guidance more accessible across India’s diverse linguistic landscape.
Named BandhuCare, the AI-powered platform is being designed to answer routine patient queries in multiple Indian languages, record symptoms through natural conversations and generate structured clinical summaries for healthcare professionals. The system aims to bridge communication gaps that often arise after treatment, particularly when patients struggle to recall symptoms or are unable to seek timely medical advice. Unlike general-purpose AI assistants, the platform has been developed using clinician-verified medical knowledge. It employs retrieval-based AI technology that restricts responses to approved clinical information, reducing the risk of inaccurate or misleading medical advice. An additional verification layer checks every response before it reaches patients, reinforcing safety in a domain where reliability is critical. The multilingual AI companion is initially focused on supporting people undergoing treatment for head and neck cancers, where patients frequently experience challenges such as difficulty swallowing, speech impairment, dry mouth and nutritional issues. By allowing users to describe symptoms through text or voice in their preferred language, the platform seeks to improve continuity of care beyond brief hospital consultations.
Researchers have also integrated digital patient journaling and conversational symptom tracking into the system. Rather than relying solely on conventional questionnaires, patients can record daily experiences in natural language, enabling clinicians to receive structured summaries and patient-reported outcome measures before appointments. Healthcare experts believe this approach can reduce recall bias and provide a more accurate picture of treatment progress. Another significant feature under development is an interactive consent module that explains medical procedures in simple language and checks patient understanding before consent is recorded. Experts say this could strengthen informed decision-making while improving accessibility for patients with varying literacy levels. The platform currently supports eight Indian languages through language technologies developed under the Government of India’s Bhashini programme. Researchers emphasise that multilingual digital health tools are becoming increasingly important as India expands technology-enabled healthcare services across geographically and linguistically diverse populations.
The project brings together clinicians, language technology researchers, AI developers and patient advocacy organisations, with an initial pilot planned among head and neck cancer patients. If successful, the multilingual AI companion could later be adapted for other cancers and chronic conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and kidney disorders. As India advances its digital health ecosystem, initiatives that combine trustworthy AI with inclusive language access may play an increasingly important role in strengthening patient-centred care while supporting clinicians in resource-constrained healthcare environments.
