Is the system hallucination-free?

Aakhyān does not use LLM-generated text in patient-facing output. Discharge instructions are rendered through deterministic, clinician-reviewed templates that have been approved by oncologists and clinicians. The AI extracts structured data from discharge summaries — the template converts that data into natural-language instructions. No generative text reaches the patient.

Which languages does Aakhyān currently support?

Aakhyān currently generates discharge instructions in Bengali, Hindi, English, and Assamese, all delivered as WhatsApp voice messages. The system is designed to expand to additional Indian languages as the platform scales beyond the pilot.

What happens when a drug isn’t in the lexicon?

If a medication is not yet in Aakhyān’s verified drug lexicon, the system flags it for clinician review. The drug’s brand name is preserved as-is, and every message is reviewed by the treating clinician before delivery. The clinician can edit, correct, or reject any instruction before it reaches the patient. No message is ever sent without clinician approval.

What’s the cost per patient?

During the pilot at Silchar Cancer Centre, Aakhyān is provided at no cost to the institution or the patient. At scale, the system costs INR 100–150 per patient (approximately USD 1.20–1.80) — comparable to the cost of one blood test. This covers the full communication sequence: discharge comprehension, medication adherence nudges, follow-up reminders, and on-demand information access. The project is principal-investigator initiated and self-funded.

How is patient data protected under DPDPA?

Discharge summary photographs are captured in-app and not saved to the device camera roll. Patient identifiers — names, addresses, contact details, and hospital IDs — are algorithmically redacted before any external API call. Only de-identified clinical content is processed using secure, access-controlled AI services. No patient names, contact details, or identifying information are ever exposed to external systems. Voice messages are delivered directly to the patient’s registered WhatsApp number. All processing complies with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.

Can another hospital join the pilot?

The current pilot is at Silchar Cancer Centre. Onboarding a new centre is straightforward — no integration with existing hospital systems is required for basic deployment. If you represent a hospital or cancer centre, please reach out through our contact form.

Does Aakhyān support only cancer patients?

Currently, yes. Aakhyān is designed and validated for oncology discharge summaries, where the complexity of multi-drug regimens — chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and hormonal therapy — and the consequences of misunderstanding are highest. We have long-term plans to extend the platform to other specialities where discharge communication gaps affect patient outcomes.

Does Aakhyān only send messages at discharge?

No. Aakhyān continues through the post-discharge recovery window — 30 days in the current pilot protocol. Day 0 is six structured voice messages explaining the discharge summary. Days 1–3 bring risk-stratified medication adherence nudges. An on-demand keyword reply menu is available any time — the patient texts a number to hear their medicines, hospital contact, follow-up details, or diet advice. Two days before follow-up, verified reminders arrive with department, tests, and fasting instructions. A day-before availability check (currently in pilot phase) verifies doctor and equipment availability to prevent wasted journeys.

Does the patient need to install an app?

No. Everything works through WhatsApp, which the vast majority of Indian smartphone users already have. Voice messages, medication nudges, follow-up reminders, and the on-demand information menu all arrive as standard WhatsApp messages. The reply commands (1 for medicines, 2 for hospital, etc.) use simple text replies — no app, no login, no learning curve.

Privacy & Data Protection

Aakhyān is designed with patient data protection as a foundational requirement, not an afterthought. All processing complies with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA), 2023.

How Patient Data Flows

Image capture — the discharge summary is photographed by the ward clerk or treating clinician using the Aakhyān interface
De-identification — patient name, address, contact number, and other personal identifiers are stripped before the document enters the AI extraction pipeline
AI extraction — the de-identified medical content is processed by AI to extract structured drug data, dosage schedules, and clinical instructions
Template rendering — deterministic templates (not AI-generated text) produce the patient-facing instructions
Voice generation — secure text-to-speech technology converts the instructions to a voice message
Delivery — the voice message is sent to the patient's registered WhatsApp number

What We Do Not Do

We do not store discharge summaries beyond the processing window
We do not share patient data with third-party analytics, advertising, or data broker services
We do not use patient data to train AI models
We do not process data on servers outside India

Data Storage

De-identified discharge data is retained for 2 years for quality assurance and audit purposes
Voice messages are retained on WhatsApp per WhatsApp's own retention policy — Aakhyān does not retain copies after delivery
All server-side processing occurs on AWS servers located in Mumbai, India

Your Rights Under DPDPA

As a data principal under DPDPA, you have the right to:

Access information about how your data is processed
Request correction of inaccurate data
Request erasure of your personal data
Nominate a representative to exercise these rights on your behalf

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at research@aakhyan.health or through our contact form.

Contact for Privacy Concerns

Data Protection Officer: Dr. Debaraj Shome Purkayastha

Institutional Address: Silchar Cancer Centre, Inside Silchar Medical Hospital & College Campus, Ghungoor, Silchar, Assam. Pin-788014