NEW DELHI: Amid rapid expansion of artificial intelligence in healthcare, Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan on Tuesday told graduating students at the 51st convocation of AIIMS that no technology could replace “the moral weight of a doctor’s presence at the patient’s bedside”.Addressing students at Bharat Mandapam, the Vice President said AIIMS Delhi was no longer merely keeping pace with the world but was “actively setting the tempo for the future of medicine”. He urged young doctors and scientists to carry forward values of compassion, innovation and public trust.The institute awarded 523 degrees across undergraduate, postgraduate, super-specialty, doctoral, nursing and allied health sciences programmes during the convocation ceremony.Union health minister Jagat Prakash Nadda said India’s medical education capacity had expanded sharply over the past decade, with the number of medical colleges increasing from around 390 to 825 and medical seats reaching 1.25 lakh. He said the government planned to add another 75,000 undergraduate and postgraduate medical seats over the next two to three years.Nadda said India now had 23 AIIMS institutions, including 16 established in recent years, and added that AIIMS Delhi carried a special responsibility in mentoring newer institutions across the country.During the ceremony, graduating students took the Charak Oath, reaffirming commitment to ethical medical practice and patient care. Degrees awarded included DM, MCh, MD, MS, MDS, MBBS, PhD, nursing and allied health sciences qualifications, along with fellowships in emerging specialties such as bariatric surgery, hepatology and blood and marrow transplantation.AIIMS director Dr Nikhil Tandon said the institute had emerged as a leader in AI-driven healthcare innovations, including AI-assisted screening tools for diabetic retinopathy, oral cancer and radiology applications. He also highlighted AIIMS Delhi’s ranking among the world’s top hospitals and its recognition by the World Health Organization in multiple areas of public health and research.The institute also conferred Lifetime Achievement Awards on five former faculty members for contributions to medical science, research and patient care.