DHN Forum Delhi 2025 Ignites the Future of Indian Healthcare with Bold Digital Health Conversations

The event brought together the sharpest minds, visionary leaders, tech pioneers, and healthcare strategists from across the nation and abroad to reimagine the future of India’s health system.

The capital witnessed an extraordinary convergence of India’s healthcare leaders, visionaries, and tech innovators as DHN Forum Delhi 2025 came alive at the Hyatt Regency.

Digital Health News (DHN), India’s #1 digital health news platform, successfully hosted DHN Forum Delhi 2025 on June 7th. The event brought together the sharpest minds, visionary leaders, tech pioneers, and healthcare strategists from across the nation and abroad to reimagine the future of India’s health system.

Known for igniting sharp conversations and driving action in digital health, this edition raised the bar with thought-provoking debates, cutting-edge insights, and actionable roadmaps for India’s evolving healthcare ecosystem.

A Bold Call to Action from DHN’s Visionary Founder

The forum opened with a compelling address by Vishnu Saxena, Founder & CEO, Digital Health News, who set the tone by candidly stating:

“India spends less than 4% of its GDP on healthcare while the US spends nearly 20%. They’re overspending, we’re underinvesting. But what we do have is deep digital penetration and a young, connected population in Tier 2 and 3 cities ready for change. Now, it’s about scaling access, improving quality, and building that future together.”

He also reflected on DHN’s remarkable journey, from a sharp news platform to a thriving digital health ecosystem boasting 3 DHN Forums, 200+ CXO podcasts, 17,000+ newsletters, 20,000+ monthly readers, 4 research surveys with CHIME India, and now the launch of DHN 2.0 and DHN Plus.

Govt Backs DHN’s Mission to Reimagine India’s Healthcare Future

In a special virtual address, Shri Pratap Rao Jadhav, Union Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, commended the significance of the DHN Forum and its far-reaching influence on shaping India’s healthcare priorities. He remarked:

“This platform, organized by Digital Health News, is a commendable effort to showcase the remarkable innovations and ideas emerging in the field of digital health in India. I would especially like to congratulate Mr. Vishnu Saxena, Founder and CEO of Digital Health News, for his continued contribution and leadership.”

The minister also highlighted the critical role digital health innovation and AI-driven healthcare models will play in ensuring equitable access for India’s vast and diverse population. He emphasized the need for collaborative platforms like DHN Forum that actively bring together policymakers, hospital leaders, health-tech innovators, and patient advocates under one roof to co-create solutions for tomorrow’s health challenges.

In his address, the Minister also stressed the importance of government-led initiatives such as the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, eSanjeevani, and National Digital Health Mission, noting their growing impact in extending healthcare access to India’s remotest corners.

“In this journey, the collaboration of media, technology, and the startup ecosystem plays a crucial role. Institutions like Digital Health News are guiding this dialogue in the right direction, bringing together CIOs, startups, and hospitals across the country to build a collaborative healthcare ecosystem.”

He concluded by congratulating the organizers on the event’s success and expressing hope that the ideas and collaborations emerging from this forum will meaningfully contribute to making India a global leader in digital health.

A 360-Degree View of India’s Digital Health Priorities

The day unfolded through seven sharp, insight-packed sessions featuring stalwarts from hospitals, med-tech, startups, VCs, CIOs, digital health experts, and clinical leaders. The conversations traversed operational bottlenecks, AI ethics, patient engagement, data security, and connected care.

The keynote by Dr Feby Abraham, EVP, Chief Strategy & Innovations Officer, Memorial Hermann Health System, Houston struck a powerful chord.

“In the US, Starbucks spends more on healthcare than on coffee. But high spend doesn’t mean high value. India has the opportunity to leapfrog. My advice to founders: identify real pain points, build intentional integrations, and demonstrate value fast. And always cultivate a network of champions early.”

Noteworthy sessions included:

‘Reimagining India’s Healthcare’, where leaders like Dr Uma Nambiar, CEO, Indian Institute of Science Medical School Foundation and Chairperson, Digital Health India Association, Dr Feby Abraham, EVP, Chief Strategy & Innovations Officer, Memorial Hermann Health System and Dr Alka Goel, Founding Partner, Alkemi Growth Capital, emphasized contextual, need-based digital adoption for Tier-2 cities and the creation of a Digital Health Marketplace to democratize access.

A high-energy Fireside Chat where Sudeep Dey, CIO, HCG, Prashant Vashisht, Group Chief Information Officer, Marengo Asia Healthcare, Nanda Kishore, CIO, Continental Hospitals, and Praveen Bist, CIO, Amrita Hospitals, unpacked the real-world challenges of data privacy, tech adoption timelines, and AI readiness. The experts decoded how people, processes, and infrastructure must align for genuine hospital digital transformation.

The sharpest conversations emerged from ‘The Race of AI in Healthcare’ where Vinay Mehta, CEO, iHub Anubhuti IIIT-Delhi Foundation, Swapan Agarwal, Industry Leader, Healthcare & Lifesciences, CIC India, IBM Consulting, and Arun Goyal, CIO, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital delved into India’s AI readiness, underlining that only 30% of health data is structured, spotlighting interoperability and adoption barriers.

This panel spotlighted India’s AI adoption challenges, including data standardization, clinical adoption hesitancy, and rural scalability.

Where IT Meets Patient Care: Re-imagining the Next Generation of Clinical Informatics highlighted how clinical informatics is no longer back-office work. Experts including Dr Sunil Khetarpal, Director, AHPI, Capt Bobby Ramesh, Group Director-Nursing Excellence, Sarvodaya Healthcare, Dr Yasmeen Sayed, Chief Medical Officer, IIT Delhi, Col Binu Sharma, Sr Director Nursing, Max Healthcare, and Dr Sutapa B Neogi, Director, IIHMR Delhi, emphasized integrating real-time data, AI-led decision support, and patient-centric digital records to directly improve patient outcomes.

The next panel on Connected Digital Health & Remote Monitoring saw leaders including Dr Jitendra Barmecha, SVP - Chief Information and Digital Strategy Officer, SBH Health System, New York, JP Dwivedi, CIO, Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre, Dr Rajiv Chhibber, Vice President - Sahajanand Medical Technologies, Kaustav Banerjee, CEO, Alkem MedTech, and Sumith Satheesan, Head - Enterprise Solution Consulting India, TP-Link, underline how real-time patient monitoring, virtual consultations, AI-driven diagnostics will reshape India’s post-COVID care model, especially in cancer, cardiology, and chronic disease management.

The last panel of the day was an Indo-US Perspective featuring Dr Navneet Bali, Executive Director and CEO of Clearmedi Healthcare, Dr Jitendra Barmecha, SVP of Chief Information and Digital Strategy Officer at SBH Health System, New York, and Alka Goel, Founding Partner of Alkemi Growth Capital. The session explored cross-border collaboration, shared learnings, and how India’s digital public infrastructure models like UPI could inform future health IT ecosystems globally.

The DHN Forum Delhi 2025 was proudly supported by presenting partners, including ScaleHealthTech, Meet MD, DHP, CHiME India, AiMed, AHPI, and IIHMR Delhi. The event was also backed by sponsors such as eClinicalWorks, TP-Link, Sequretek, and Sparsh Healthcare, whose association added strength and credibility to the platform’s collective vision for India’s digital health future.

The Students’ Debut in the Digital Health Arena

A standout highlight of DHN Forum Delhi 2025 was the active participation of students from leading healthcare and technology institutes. For many, it was their first direct exposure to India’s top CXOs, founders, and policymakers in action.

Not only did they witness live discussions on AI, digital health policy, and virtual care, but they also had the rare opportunity to engage with speakers, ask questions, and gain invaluable insights into the evolving healthcare landscape. This meaningful interaction bridged the often wide gap between academia and enterprise, offering students a front-row seat to the future of healthcare.

Recognizing the Changemakers: DHN Top 10 Healthcare CIOs of the Year

The day culminated with recognizing the visionary leaders driving India’s digital health revolution. DHN honoured Top 10 Healthcare CIOs who aren’t just overseeing IT operations but driving technology-led transformation in hospitals, insurance, and healthcare enterprises nationwide.

Leaders like Dr Puneet Kaur Kohli, President-Chief Information and Technology Officer, Liberty General Insurance; Dr Girish Kulkarni, Pr Consultant, IT-NIMHANS; Saji Mathews, Group CTO, Baby Memorial Hospital; Kumar KV, Group CIO, Narayana Health; Pradeep Kumar Saha, Group CIO, Artemis Hospitals; Shweta Bhatnagar, HEAD-IT, FoMHS, Symbiosis University Hospital & Research Centre; Bhoopendra Kumar Solanki, CIO, Sakra World Hospital; Sreeni Venugopal, CIO & CISO, Aster DM Healthcare, Samson Dsouza, Vice President-Technology, ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company and Hemal Savla, CIO, Shalina Healthcare; were celebrated for pioneering tech-enabled initiatives measurable, patient-impacting innovations with direct, measurable impact on patient outcomes, operational efficiency, and healthcare access.

This recognition spotlighted changemakers scripting the next chapter of India’s connected, patient-centric healthcare ecosystem.

Survey Launch: DHN & CHIME India Annual Outlook Survey 2025

The day also marked the unveiling of the ‘DHN & CHIME India Annual Outlook Survey 2025’ capturing trends, barriers, and digital priorities directly from India’s top CIOs and decision-makers. The survey drew a strong response and promises to shape future policy conversations and tech adoption strategies in healthcare.

Key findings included:

AI in patient care and clinical informatics is a top investment priority

Urgent need for standardized, interoperable digital infrastructure

Growing appetite for value-driven, connected care models

What’s Next? DHN Never Slows Down

After galvanizing Bengaluru, Mumbai, and now with DHN Forum Delhi’s powerful success, the stage is already set for the next bold chapters, more regional forums, national conclaves, and thematic innovation challenges, that promises to take the conversation further, deeper, and sharper. Because in healthcare, transformation isn’t a one-time event, it’s a movement.

Today, DHN is not just a news media brand but India’s most trusted and dynamic healthtech community, connecting hospitals, policymakers, digital health innovators, startups, insurers, and VCs through its ecosystem of podcasts, innovation challenges, research surveys, forecasts, mobile apps, and sharp, actionable content.

DHN’s mission remains unchanged: Catalyze India’s healthcare future by connecting ideas, innovators, and institutions.

Partner with DHN: If you’d like to collaborate, exhibit, or co-host at upcoming DHN events, drop us a line at info@digitalhealthnews.com

The Happy Patient, Healthy Margin panel spotlighted how consumer-first digital touchpoints like WhatsApp communication and remote monitoring are transforming patient journeys and driving hospital margins.

The speakers, Vishnu Saxena, Founder and CEO of Digital Health News and ScaleHealthTech, Anuj Gupta, COO of ClearMedi Healthcare, Dr Anuj Tiwari, Group CEO of Sparsh Hospitals, Dr Santosh Pandey, CEO of Tata Steel Medica Hospital, and Dr Shuchin Bajaj, Founder Director of Ujala Cygnus, emphasized that patient experience is no longer optional but a strategic growth lever in today's hyper-consumerized era.

Stay tuned for more such updates on Digital Health News