Hurdles to digitalizing pathology are falling, even in developing nations. Competition and innovation keep cutting the costs of digitalization, which the pandemic has hastened, and its benefits outweigh brief hiccups from one-off shifts to the new technology, as Dr Rohitashva Agrawal explains.

Drawbacks aside, India will benefit from the vast potential of its medical data. The data of the country home to one-sixth of humanity form a force that must be harnessed for the betterment of its healthcare, urges Dr Rohitashva Agrawal in his contribution to The Yuan’s Open Data 2022 series that commemorates the 110th anniversary of Alan Turing’s birth.

Health apps have proliferated of late, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but their quality and reliability is often uneven. Data security and user privacy laws have also lagged. Regulation must keep pace as health-tracking and other emerging technologies continue developing. Dr Rohitashva Agrawal wonders whether the world is up to the challenge.

Recent advances in digital pathology are an opportunity for India to become a world leader. Digitization and automation are critical in helping India overcome its shortage of specialized medical professionals, especially in rural areas, and make more efficient use of the ones it has. Can India use the advantages of a huge population, growing middle class, and vast pools of data to leapfrog other countries?