Al & ML are revolutionising the World's Largest Public Health Assurance Scheme, says NHA CEO

The adoption of AI-based tools and data analytics is enabling efficient use of public resources and ensuring beneficiaries receive rightful access to healthcare services under AB PM-JAY.

The National Health Authority of India (NHA) has recently shown a remarkable demonstration regarding the transformative use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance transparency and integrity across India’s digital health ecosystem at a workshop hosted by the Central Vigilance Commission at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, during Vigilance Awareness Week 2025.

Addressing the session, Dr Sunil Kumar Barnwal, IAS, CEO, National Health Authority (NHA), shared insights on the integration of AI within India’s digital health ecosystem, particularly through flagship initiatives such as the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) and Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY).

While delivering his presentation on “Fraud Detection in Government Health Schemes using AI” under the theme “Transforming Public Service Delivery: Potential Applications of AI in Health Systems”, Dr Barnwal explained how NHA is leveraging AI and Machine Learning to identify, prevent, and address fraudulent activities in real time.

Emphasising the AI’s role stated that he said, “AI and ML are revolutionising the world’s largest public health assurance scheme — shifting from reactive fraud control to proactive integrity management, and ensuring transparency, accountability, and equity in every citizen’s healthcare journey.”

He further described that the adoption of AI-based tools and data analytics is enabling efficient use of public resources and ensuring beneficiaries receive rightful access to healthcare services under AB PM-JAY.

Earlier this month, the authority had also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the IIT Kanpur to develop digital-public-goods platforms for AI in healthcare, such as federated-learning pipelines, quality-preserving data banks and open benchmarking platforms to validate AI models under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM).

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