A patient who is 68 years old and suffers from diabetes and lives in a Tier-2 town had to travel for two hours to the nearest city-based hospital, spending the entire day getting just one reading of her blood glucose levels. Now, all she needs to do is wear an internet-connected blood glucose meter, which will measure her glucose levels continuously and send that information directly to her doctor’s phone, so he can pick up any warning signs before things get serious, without anyone having to leave their house. The move from the patient travelling to get their information to that information coming directly to the doctor is what IoMT is all about.

What Healthcare IoT Actually Means

The Internet of Healthcare Things (IoHT), alternatively known as the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), is made up of the various devices that constantly gather information about the patient and pass it on to the doctors or any app for the purpose. These can range from your watch measuring your heartbeat, a connected inhaler keeping track of your breathing activity, a Bluetooth-enabled blood pressure monitor, to a ventilation machine in the ICU sending all the data collected about the patient through to a central interface. Each device has its own function, but when put together they allow doctors to keep a constant check on the patient’s health condition.

Why It's Gaining Ground in India Specifically

The healthcare industry in India has struggled since its inception with the issue of geography, in which there was a lack of concentration of specialists in a few cities, while the population lived in villages and small towns, where the nearest hospital could take several hours to reach.

The market for healthcare IoT solutions in India is one of the most dynamically developing markets in Asia, demonstrating a faster rate of development than those in other Asian countries, thanks to various programs promoted by the state and private companies, growing use of telemedicine services, and smartphones penetrating even the semi-urban environment. This trend is driven not only by hospitals but by insurance companies, startups providing home care, and device manufacturers.

Where Connected Devices are Already Making a Difference

Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM): People suffering from diabetes, hypertension, and heart diseases today have wearable devices that continuously monitor their vitals and alert when there's an issue, long before there's an emergency. This replaces the old question that the doctor would ask: "How have your vitals been this month?"

Smart Hospitals: In the hospital setting, IoT technologies are making inroads in subtle ways too. From RFID tagging of expensive equipment like ventilators and infusion machines, smart beds alerting nurses when the patients move, and connected medical supplies, which ensure that no medicine goes out of stock.

Telemedicine Based on Data: While video consultations alone are good to some point, the doctor does need data. Devices that connect and stream vital information during virtual consultations are enabling doctors to get real-time blood pressure and other vital signs of patients during telemedicine.

Management of Chronic Diseases: With millions of diabetics and hypertensive patients in India, continuous glucose monitors and connected BP cuffs are taking care of these cases from being reactive to being proactive.

The Elderly and Home Care: As many urban Indian families now have their elderly parents living alone or even in a different city, the fall-detection device worn by the patient and the remote monitoring of their vitals are proving to be very useful in ensuring that they remain healthy.

The Numbers Behind the Trend

As per industry estimates, India ranks high in terms of IoT technology uptake in the healthcare sector compared to other Asian-Pacific countries, citing Ayushman Bharat digital health programs and telemedicine technologies in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities as factors that are propelling its growth. In the global market for IoT technology in the healthcare industry, the growth projection into the early 2030s includes many-fold growth, with remote patient monitoring and home care among the fastest-growing sectors.

The Challenges that Come with It

Connected devices produce useful data indeed, if and only if this data gets to a reliable place in a private manner.

Lack of interoperability: If one manufacturer’s glucose monitor and another manufacturer’s hospital EHR system do not understand each other, here comes the role of standards like HL7 FHIR (that was used to build ABDM). IoT data needs to be transformed to a standard form if it is needed to be clinically useful rather than stored in yet another app that nobody looks at.

Data privacy and security: Continuous health data is sensitive, and each connected device could be an additional entry point for hackers. Data encryption, access control, and secure API - these are just the basic requirements here.

Network coverage in rural areas: IoT devices are as good as the network that carries data produced by them. Poor network connection in remote places could undermine the very people who should benefit from these devices.

Costs: Clinical-grade connected devices are still costly for most Indians; hence, their adoption is observable mainly in cities and hospitals.

Regulatory clarity: Connected health devices fall somewhere between the regulation of information technology and medical devices, since they are neither drugs nor conventional medical devices; hence, India’s regulatory regime for them is yet to develop fully.

Where This is Headed

The path is pretty obvious: healthcare IoT in India is shifting from an auxiliary convenience based on a hospital to a default convenience based on home usage, specifically in relation to chronic diseases and elderly care. As deployment of 5G networks progresses and costs of various devices decline, connected monitoring should become as commonplace as a connected blood pressure device currently is in people’s houses, except that in this case it reports your condition to your physician. The next step in this direction will not be about adding more devices; it will be about linking all these devices into the interoperable ecosystem of medical records that ABDM is currently creating.

As connected devices become a routine part of Indian healthcare, the question is not how to get IoT to monitor patients’ health. The question is whether healthcare organisations and connected device manufacturers will be able to establish an interoperable data format fast enough for a reading taken by a wearable device and the patient’s medical record to become one story rather than two separate stories.

The government granted in-principle approval for an INR 100 crore corpus fund for MAHACARE under the Mahatma Phule Jan Arogya Yojana.

In a move to strengthen cancer care infrastructure, the government of Maharashtra has announced a series of measures, including the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Maharashtra Cancer Care, Research and Education Foundation (MAHACARE) and the Tata Memorial Centre (TMC).

The initiatives were highlighted during a recent meeting of the Board of Directors of the Maharashtra Cancer Care, Research and Education Foundation, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai. The meeting focused on expanding access to cancer diagnosis, treatment, and research facilities across Maharashtra.

According to the government, the partnership with Tata Memorial Centre is intended to strengthen the state's cancer care network by leveraging TMC's expertise in cancer treatment and research.

Under the collaboration, Tata Memorial Centre will serve as the apex institution for research and specialised treatment.

The collaboration will also support the development of comprehensive cancer treatment centres, diagnostic facilities, and day-care centres under the state's MahaArogya Project, creating a more integrated cancer care network.

During the meeting, the Chief Minister directed MAHACARE to work towards establishing treatment and research facilities that meet international standards. He noted that MAHACARE would play a pivotal role in ensuring equitable access to cancer care through a network of technology-enabled state-run facilities.

Commenting on the initiative, the CM said, “MahaCare would play a key role in ensuring every citizen in Maharashtra has access to quality cancer diagnosis and treatment through a network of state-run Level-2 and Level-3 cancer hospitals supported by modern technology.”

In addition, the CM approved the establishment of the Nagpur High-Energy Medical Cyclotron Project as a subsidiary under MAHACARE.

The proposed project is expected to strengthen advanced cancer diagnosis and treatment capabilities by supporting the production of specialised medical isotopes used in cancer imaging and therapy.

In addition, the government granted in-principle approval for an INR 100 crore corpus fund for MAHACARE under the Mahatma Phule Jan Arogya Yojana.

The fund is expected to support the development of cancer care infrastructure and related healthcare initiatives in the state.

According to the officials, the broader objective of the initiative is to improve access to quality cancer care beyond major urban centres by strengthening state-run Level 2 and Level 3 cancer hospitals across districts.

The state plans to establish comprehensive district-level cancer centres in Mumbai, Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nagpur, Nanded, Kolhapur, Chandrapur, Nashik and Amravati.

The proposed network is expected to enable patients to access diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care closer to their place of residence.

The meeting was attended by Minister Prakash Abitkar, Minister of State Madhuri Misal, MAHACARE Chief Executive Officer Dr Ajay Chandanwale, and senior government officials.

Further implementation of the approved projects and collaboration with Tata Memorial Centre is expected to take place in phases following the board's decisions.

The technology is intended to help healthcare professionals monitor disease progression in real time, support earlier clinical intervention, optimise treatment strategies, and enable more personalised, data-driven management of patients.

Researchers at VIT Bhopal University and collaborating institutions have developed an intelligent remote monitoring system aimed at supporting the continuous assessment of pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive and debilitating lung disease that often requires long-term monitoring to track its progression and optimise treatment.

The patent technology named "Apparatus for Dynamic Monitoring and Analysis in Pulmonary Fibrosis" has been granted an Indian Utility Patent.

It functions as an intelligent system designed to continuously acquire and analyse patient-related clinical data.

The technology is intended to help healthcare professionals monitor disease progression in real time, support earlier clinical intervention, optimise treatment strategies, and enable more personalised, data-driven management of patients.

Designed with future-ready healthcare ecosystems in mind, the system has potential applications across continuous patient monitoring, clinical decision support, remote healthcare delivery, telemedicine, treatment evaluation, respiratory disease research, and personalised pulmonary care.

By enabling longitudinal analysis of patient data, the technology seeks to support clinicians with timely insights that can improve long-term disease management.

The patented technology was developed by Dr. Rajneesh Kumar Patel and Dr. Siddharth Singh Chouhan from the School of Computer Science and Engineering, VIT Bhopal University, in collaboration with Dr. Nancy Kumari, a former researcher at VIT Bhopal and currently at SRM University Delhi-NCR, Dr. Krishna Kumar Pandey from NIT Agartala, Amit Patel, and Sunil Kumar Gautam from MANIT Bhopal.

Designed with future-ready healthcare ecosystems in mind, the system has potential applications across continuous patient monitoring, clinical decision support, remote healthcare delivery, telemedicine, treatment evaluation, respiratory disease research, and personalised pulmonary care. By enabling longitudinal analysis of patient data, the technology seeks to support clinicians with timely insights that can improve long-term disease management.

Commenting on the latest technology, Dr. Rajneesh Kumar Patel said, "Pulmonary fibrosis is a complex disease that demands continuous monitoring to understand how a patient's condition evolves over time. Our objective was to develop an intelligent system that can assist clinicians by analysing patient data dynamically, supporting timely interventions and more informed treatment decisions. We hope this technology will contribute to the future of connected and personalised respiratory care."

The patent adds to VIT Bhopal University's growing portfolio of intellectual property and reinforces its focus on translating academic research into impactful technologies with real-world applications.

The fresh capital will be deployed to strengthen the company's technology platform, deepen its AI-driven inventory and assortment intelligence, build operational capabilities, and expand its pharmacy network into new geographies.

Bengaluru-based pharmacy-focused quick-commerce startup Plazza has raised $15 million in a Series A funding round co-led by Accel, Elevation Capital, and Nexus Venture Partners.

The round also saw participation from existing investors, including All In Capital and Better Capital.

The fresh capital will be deployed to strengthen the company's technology platform, deepen its AI-driven inventory and assortment intelligence, build operational capabilities, and expand its pharmacy network into new geographies.

Founded in 2024 by Aman Priyadarshi, Plazza operates a pharmacy-first quick commerce platform that focuses on medicine availability through AI-powered inventory management and 15 to 30-minute delivery.

The latest funding comes around 10 months after the Bengaluru-based startup raised $1.4 million in a seed funding round led by All In Capital. Better Capital, Tracxn founder Abhishek Goyal, Vivekananda Hallekere, the Singhania family office, and the promoters of JK Tyre also participated in that round.

According to the company, each Plazza store stocks more than 40,000 SKUs, around eight times the inventory of a typical neighbourhood pharmacy.

It claims this enables prescription fill rates of over 95%, compared to the industry average of 50% to 60%.

The startup reported its gross merchandise value (GMV) grew nearly 27X between June 2025 and March 2026.

The startup aims to address a longstanding challenge in India's pharmaceutical retail market, where local pharmacies generally stock only a fraction of the medicines available nationwide despite the market comprising more than 100,000 SKUs.

As per the startup, its AI-powered inventory planning system analyses neighbourhood-level prescribing patterns intended to determine which medicines should be stocked at individual stores, enabling higher prescription fulfilment rates than traditional pharmacies.

Currently, the startup operates two stores with further plans to add eight more over the next one to two months, taking its network to 10 outlets.

Furthermore, Plazza is targeting approximately 20 stores across Bengaluru by the end of 2026 as it scales its pharmacy-led quick commerce model.

The collaboration marks the first time an Indian laboratory has offered the blood-based test across the country, enabling eligible individuals to access the screening service through the laboratory's diagnostic and home collection network.

Delhi-based pathology and diagnostic centre, Dr Dangs Lab, has entered into a strategic partnership with Zydus Lifesciences, an Ahmedabad-based multinational pharmaceutical company, to introduce Guardant Health's Shield multi-cancer detection test nationwide for eligible adults aged 45 years and above.

The collaboration has expanded access to a precision oncology screening tool designed to detect multiple cancers in eligible individuals through a single blood sample.

Dr Arjun Dang, CEO, Dr Dangs Lab, stated, "This collaboration with Guardant Health and Zydus Lifesciences represents a defining step in that journey. It demonstrates our responsibility towards our patients, our communities, and the future health of our nation. Our pan-India reach and home collection capabilities ensure that this breakthrough is not limited by geography, but truly democratised."

The collaboration marks the first time an Indian laboratory has offered the blood-based test across the country, enabling eligible individuals to access the screening service irrespective of their location through the laboratory's diagnostic and home collection network.

Shield is a methylation-based blood test developed by Guardant Health, a California-based biotech company, for the detection of multiple cancer types, including bladder, colorectal, breast, prostate, oesophageal, gastric, liver, lung, ovarian and pancreatic cancers.

Unlike conventional screening methods that typically focus on a single organ, the multi-cancer detection test is designed to identify signals associated with several cancers from one blood sample, supporting earlier clinical evaluation where required.

Simranjit Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Guardant Health AMEA, said, "With Dr Dangs longstanding presence and deep understanding of the local healthcare landscape, we look forward to reaching more patients and providers across the country."

The technology has also received Breakthrough Device Designation from the US Food and Drug Administration for selected cancer types based on findings from the National Cancer Institute Vanguard Study evaluating emerging multi-cancer detection technologies.

The designation recognises the potential of the technology but does not represent FDA approval or clearance.

The Union Health Secretary also highlighted the importance of protecting patient information, stressing that data privacy, cybersecurity and the responsible use of health data are essential to sustaining public trust in the country's expanding digital health ecosystem.

As Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) and Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) continue to expand across the country, Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava has called on States and Union Territories to prioritise their wider adoption and meaningful utilisation.

Addressing a national review meeting, she emphasised that digital health initiatives must deliver tangible value for citizens, healthcare professionals and health facilities, while maintaining strong safeguards for data privacy and cybersecurity.

The Union Health Secretary has emphasised that the next stage of digital health should focus on ensuring these platforms are actively used across the healthcare system to improve patient care and service delivery.

The remarks were made during the National Health Authority's two-day National Review Meeting on AB PM-JAY and ABDM, which brought together officials from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the National Health Authority, State Health Agencies and other stakeholders to assess progress and define priorities for the next phase of healthcare reforms.

Discussions centred on strengthening implementation, sharing successful state models, improving financial sustainability and accelerating digital transformation across India's health system.

Addressing the gathering, Srivastava said, "AB PM-JAY and the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) have emerged as integral pillars of India's healthcare ecosystem. As these digital public health platforms continue to mature, the focus must now shift towards their wider adoption and effective utilisation across the health system."

She further urged States and Union Territories to maximise the use of digital health services and applications, adding that "the true value of these initiatives lies in making them useful for citizens, healthcare professionals and health facilities alike."

The Union Health Secretary also highlighted the importance of protecting patient information, stressing that data privacy, cybersecurity and the responsible use of health data are essential to sustaining public trust in the country's expanding digital health ecosystem.

The review meeting also examined ways to strengthen financial management under AB PM-JAY, with participants discussing improved fund utilisation, better financial planning and timely release of grants to States and Union Territories.

Revised grant-in-aid guidelines and measures to enhance financial accountability were also reviewed to support more effective implementation of both flagship programmes.

Several States showcased approaches that could strengthen healthcare delivery through AB PM-JAY.

Kerala highlighted the integration of its state health protection programmes with the national scheme to expand access and improve financial protection.

Tamil Nadu shared how revenues generated through claims under its Chief Minister's Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme have been reinvested into public hospitals, supporting infrastructure upgrades, medical equipment, human resources and digital systems.

The National Health Authority demonstrated advanced health analytics tools designed to support evidence-based decision-making, while the National Medical Commission outlined ongoing efforts to expand ABDM adoption across medical colleges through HMIS integration, wider use of ABHA-linked clinical records and digital performance dashboards.

Participants also explored the responsible use of artificial intelligence to strengthen clinical decision support, operational efficiency and health system planning.

The meeting concluded with a renewed commitment from the Centre and States to strengthen implementation of AB PM-JAY and ABDM through collaborative governance, digital innovation and evidence-based policymaking.

US digital health funding has entered a new investment cycle, one defined less by capital recovery than by capital selectivity. While venture funding reached US$7.4 billion across 244 deals in H1 2026, nearly 45% of total investment was concentrated in just 20 mega-rounds, highlighting a market where investors are prioritizing proven business models over broad-based innovation. Rather than funding digital health as a standalone growth story, capital is increasingly flowing toward companies that combine scalable healthcare infrastructure, operational resilience, regulatory alignment, and sustainable commercial execution. This shift signals a fundamental evolution in investor priorities, where long-term competitive advantage is determined less by technological novelty and more by the ability to create durable value across the healthcare ecosystem.

The more significant takeaway for healthcare leaders, investors, and digital health vendors is not the increase in funding, but the increasing concentration of capital. Venture investment is no longer expanding uniformly across the sector; instead, it is being directed toward a smaller group of companies with proven execution capabilities, scalable business models, and strong strategic positioning. This shift reflects a broader evolution in investor priorities, raising important questions about the characteristics that will define long-term market leadership in digital health.

Fewer Bets, Bigger Checks: The Rise of Capital Selectivity

The growing concentration of capital is one of the defining characteristics of the US digital health funding landscape in 2026. Mega-rounds of US$100 million or more accounted for 45% of total investment in H1 2026, up from 22% in 2024 and 42% in 2025, while just 8% of all deals captured nearly half of the capital deployed. At the same time, the median deal size increased to US$14 million, the highest level since 2022. Rather than signalling a broad-based recovery in venture activity, these figures point to a market where investors are deploying larger investments into a smaller group of companies with demonstrated commercial maturity and long-term growth potential.

This trend reflects more than cautious capital deployment, it signals a structural evolution in investment strategy. As artificial intelligence becomes a foundational capability across digital health, investors are shifting their focus from technological differentiation to sustainable competitive advantage. Increasingly, investment decisions are influenced by factors such as proprietary data assets, deep integration into clinical and administrative workflows, regulatory readiness, proven execution, and the ability to scale within complex healthcare ecosystems. In this environment, AI is no longer viewed as a differentiator, it has become the minimum expectation.

For healthcare providers, payers, and enterprise buyers evaluating digital health vendors, this shift has important strategic implications. Vendor assessments can no longer rely solely on the sophistication of AI capabilities. Instead, organizations must evaluate whether a solution delivers defensible value that competitors cannot easily replicate. Companies attracting the largest investment rounds are distinguished not by the presence of AI alone, but by durable competitive moats built through trusted customer relationships, proprietary datasets, embedded workflows, measurable outcomes, and scalable business models. As the market matures, these attributes are increasingly defining which companies emerge as long-term platform leaders rather than short-term innovation stories.

Where Capital Is Creating the Next Wave of Digital Health Value

Funding patterns in H1 2026 indicate that investors are becoming increasingly selective, directing capital toward segments where strong clinical demand, regulatory momentum, and scalable business models intersect. Rather than backing digital health broadly, investment is concentrating on areas with the potential to deliver long-term healthcare transformation.

Mental health remained the most-funded clinical category for the seventh consecutive year, while weight management and obesity continued to attract significant investment, fueled by the rapid adoption of GLP-1 therapies. Companies such as eMed, Nourish, and Midi Health secured major funding rounds, with adjacent wellness and longevity platforms also gaining investor interest. These trends highlight growing confidence in preventive, personalized, and consumer-centric care models.

A defining characteristic of both categories is their strong direct-to-consumer (D2C) focus. Nearly two-thirds of funded companies in mental health and weight management operate through consumer-driven models, compared with just 29% of digital health companies overall. This reflects investors' confidence in segments where unmet demand and consumer willingness to pay can drive sustained growth beyond traditional payer-provider models.

Beyond clinical applications, regulation is emerging as a major investment catalyst. The January 2027 federal mandate for electronic prior authorization is accelerating funding into prior authorization, revenue cycle management (RCM), and administrative automation platforms, transforming compliance requirements into strategic growth opportunities.

Another notable trend is the shift toward healthcare infrastructure and platform technologies. Disease-agnostic AI platforms attracted US$2.88 billion in Q1 2026, exceeding investment in any single clinical indication. Similarly, care coordination and population health solutions continue to attract both venture funding and corporate partnerships, reflecting growing demand for scalable infrastructure that supports interoperability and operational efficiency across healthcare.

Corporate participation is also reshaping the market. Pharmaceutical companies and AI leaders, including Eli Lilly, OpenAI, Anthropic, and NVIDIA, are increasingly acting as strategic investors, providing startups with capital, commercial partnerships, and technology expertise that accelerate innovation and market adoption.

Finally, the United States continues to dominate the global digital health landscape, accounting for nearly three-quarters of worldwide venture funding in H1 2026. This leadership reflects the maturity of its healthcare investment ecosystem, supported by specialized investors, a robust M&A environment, and sustained investment in AI-enabled healthcare infrastructure.

The allocation of capital in 2026 signals that investors are prioritizing healthcare infrastructure, consumer engagement, and operational transformation over standalone digital solutions. For healthcare organizations and technology vendors, these funding patterns provide an early indication of the capabilities, business models, and market segments most likely to define the next phase of digital health innovation.

AI Has Become the Baseline, Not the Differentiator

One of the most significant shifts in 2026 is that AI is no longer the investment story, it has become the baseline expectation. As AI adoption has become ubiquitous, investors are placing less emphasis on the technology itself and more on an organization's ability to translate AI into measurable business and clinical value.

This shift is redefining how investors and healthcare organizations evaluate digital health companies. Competitive advantage is increasingly determined by proprietary data, workflow integration, regulatory expertise, customer relationships, and proven execution, rather than AI capabilities alone. As AI becomes commoditized, sustainable differentiation will depend on building structural advantages that competitors cannot easily replicate. For healthcare leaders, the key question is no longer whether a solution uses AI, but whether it delivers durable value and maintains its competitive edge as AI capabilities become increasingly standardized.

Consolidation Is Outpacing Public Market Activity

While venture funding is gradually recovering, the exit landscape is evolving much faster. H1 2026 recorded 115 digital health acquisitions, including 71 in Q2 alone, marking the strongest M&A activity since late 2021. Much of this consolidation has centered on revenue cycle management (RCM), medical billing, and administrative automation, as health systems, private equity firms, and strategic buyers seek to improve operational efficiency through acquisitions. For instance, IKS Health's acquisition of TruBridge reflects this broader trend toward expanding AI-enabled administrative capabilities.

Public markets remain selective but continue to reward companies with strong financial fundamentals. The strong market performance of companies such as Oura, Whoop, and Hinge Health highlights a clear trend that investors are prioritizing businesses that combine steady growth with sound financial performance and sustainable profitability.

The exit environment suggests that strategic acquisitions will remain the preferred path to value creation for most digital health companies, while IPO opportunities will likely be limited to organizations with proven revenue models, capital efficiency, and strong unit economics. As investment priorities mature, success will increasingly depend on commercial execution and long-term business resilience rather than technology innovation alone.

What to Watch Over the Next 18 Months

Several market and regulatory developments are expected to shape the next phase of digital health investment, making proactive strategic planning essential for healthcare organizations and technology vendors.

The CMS mandate for fully electronic prior authorization by January 2027 is expected to accelerate investment in revenue cycle management (RCM), administrative automation, and interoperability solutions. As the compliance deadline approaches, consolidation within these segments is likely to intensify, favouring organizations that modernize their administrative infrastructure early.

Regulatory developments will also influence investment in high-growth therapeutic areas. The FDA's review of peptide reclassification could significantly impact the rapidly expanding weight management and longevity markets, potentially reshaping commercialization strategies and investor sentiment across these categories.

At the same time, the extension of telehealth flexibilities through 2027, combined with pharmaceutical companies' growing direct-to-patient initiatives and expanded Medicare support for GLP-1 therapies, is accelerating the convergence of consumer-driven and payer-supported healthcare models. Organizations capable of integrating both care delivery approaches are likely to be better positioned to capture future growth.

Over the next 18 months, regulatory policy, reimbursement reforms, and evolving consumer care models will increasingly influence investment decisions alongside technological innovation. Companies that proactively align with these structural market shifts, rather than simply responding to them, will be better positioned to attract capital and establish long-term competitive advantage.

Beyond the Funding Numbers

The defining story of US digital health funding in 2026 is not the return of capital, but the evolution of investor expectations. Venture capital is increasingly rewarding companies that combine technological innovation with sustainable competitive advantages, proprietary data assets, deep workflow integration, regulatory alignment, operational excellence, and proven commercial execution. As AI becomes a foundational capability rather than a point of differentiation, long-term value creation will depend on an organization's ability to deliver measurable outcomes and build defensible market positions.

For healthcare leaders, these investment trends provide an important benchmark for evaluating technology partners and shaping digital transformation strategies. The companies attracting the largest investments are not necessarily those with the most advanced AI capabilities, but those best positioned to address systemic healthcare challenges while demonstrating scalability, resilience, and long-term customer value.

Looking ahead, the digital health market is likely to become increasingly platform-driven, with investment favouring organizations that can integrate data, intelligence, and care delivery across the healthcare ecosystem. Ultimately, the next generation of market leaders will be defined not by how effectively they adopt AI, but by how successfully they transform AI into durable competitive advantage and measurable healthcare impact.

Following its INR 8.5 Cr seed funding round in 2025, the startup plans to extend the Full-Stack Clinic model to Mumbai, Hyderabad and Delhi by 2028.

Bengaluru-based healthtech startup Praan Health has launched its first Full-Stack Clinic for adults aged 50 and above, expanding its continuous care model beyond home-based services into an integrated clinical setting.

Praan Health has combined multidisciplinary care with digital follow-up to provide coordinated support for chronic disease management, mobility, rehabilitation and healthy ageing.

Designed exclusively for adults above 50 years of age, the centre combines physician consultations, physiotherapy, nutrition counselling, supervised strength training, diagnostics, pharmacy services, chronic disease management, pain care, and pre- and post-operative rehabilitation within a single care ecosystem.

The clinic is supported by the startup’s digital platform, enabling continuity of care at home after in-person visits.

A key element of the Full-Stack Clinic model is its focus on long-distance caregiving. With many working professionals living away from their parents, Praan Health enables family members to stay informed about consultations, treatment plans and health progress, provided the individual consents.

The startup says this coordinated approach is intended to improve continuity of care while helping families remain connected throughout the care journey.

Unlike traditional disease-specific consultations, the Full-Stack Clinic follows a multidisciplinary care pathway that integrates clinical interventions with nutrition, mobility improvement and strength-building programmes.

Progress is tracked through measurable health outcomes such as reduced pain, improved movement and greater independence in daily living rather than isolated treatment milestones.

Commenting on the launch, Navneeth Ramprasad, Founder and CEO, Praan Health, said, “This centre is the result of everything we have learned from more than 350,000 personalised care sessions. We are bringing the clinic, home and family into one connected care journey. Our conviction is that coordinated, preventive care must become the standard for ageing Indians—not a system that every family has to assemble on its own.”

The launch also represents a strategic milestone for Praan Health. Since its founding in 2024, the startup has delivered more than 350,000 personalised care sessions to over 10,000 adults across 13 cities through its home-based services.

Following its INR 8.5 Cr seed funding round in 2025, the startup plans to extend the Full-Stack Clinic model to Mumbai, Hyderabad and Delhi by 2028.

The state government said the comprehensive infrastructure expansion is designed to improve healthcare accessibility while strengthening the overall public health system.

The Madhya Pradesh Cabinet has approved an INR 776.13 Cr investment to upgrade 73 healthcare institutions, create over 1,600 regular healthcare posts, and expand hospital capacity to improve access to quality medical services, particularly in rural and semi-urban regions.

Under the Cabinet-approved proposal, 29 sub-health centres will be upgraded into six-bed Primary Health Centres, enabling them to provide a wider range of healthcare services.

Nineteen existing PHCs will be converted into Community Health Centres with enhanced infrastructure and expanded clinical capabilities.

In addition, 18 Community Health Centres will be upgraded into 50-bed civil hospitals, while seven health institutions will be developed into 100-bed hospitals to increase inpatient care capacity.

The state government said the comprehensive infrastructure expansion is designed to improve healthcare accessibility while strengthening the overall public health system.

By increasing the number of functional healthcare facilities at different levels, the initiative aims to reduce patient referrals and ease the burden on overcrowded hospitals.

To support the upgraded facilities, the MP Cabinet has approved the creation of 1,600 regular positions and 71 contractual posts across the healthcare system.

The government has also sanctioned the engagement of 560 personnel through outsourcing agencies to ensure uninterrupted operations at the newly upgraded institutions.

The Council of Ministers has further approved an annual expenditure of INR 122.83 Cr for operating and maintaining these healthcare facilities.

The recurring allocation is expected to support staffing, service delivery and day-to-day functioning as the upgraded institutions become operational.

Officials said the expanded network of hospitals and healthcare centres will benefit not only local communities but also residents from neighbouring districts who currently travel long distances to access specialised medical services.

The increased bed capacity, improved infrastructure and larger workforce are expected to shorten waiting times and enhance the quality of patient care across the state.

The Centre has been developed through a collaborative partnership between the Government of Telangana, Microsoft India, 1M1B (1 Million for 1 Billion) Foundation and MeitY Startup Hub.

The Telangana Government has announced the launch of India's first Green Pharma-focused Applied AI Centre of Excellence in Hyderabad in collaboration with Microsoft India, 1M1B Foundation and MeitY Startup Hub.

Scheduled to become operational in August 2026, the Centre will train students and professionals in applied artificial intelligence, sustainable manufacturing and emerging technologies while supporting Telangana's vision of generating over five lakh jobs in the life sciences sector.

The Centre has been developed through a collaborative partnership between the Government of Telangana, Microsoft India, 1M1B (1 Million for 1 Billion) Foundation and MeitY Startup Hub.

The initiative aligns with the Telangana Next-Generation Life Sciences Policy 2026-30, which prioritises advanced technologies, sustainability and workforce development to enhance the state's global competitiveness in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and medical innovation.

With industries increasingly adopting artificial intelligence to improve research, manufacturing efficiency, quality assurance and supply chain management, demand for professionals who understand both AI and sustainable production practices continues to grow.

The new Centre aims to bridge this skills gap by offering training in Applied AI, green technologies and sustainable manufacturing tailored to the evolving requirements of the life sciences and pharmaceutical sectors.

The roadmap for the Green Pharma-focused Applied AI Centre of Excellence was presented to ITEC and Industries Minister Sridhar Babu Duddilla at the Telangana State Secretariat.

The initiative is expected to contribute significantly to Telangana's target of creating more than five lakh jobs across the life sciences ecosystem by building a workforce equipped with digital and sustainability-focused capabilities.

The programme is also expected to improve collaboration between academia and industry, helping young professionals gain practical exposure to technologies that are increasingly shaping pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Speaking at the National Health Authority's (NHA) two-day review meeting, Chintan Shivir, on the implementation of AB PM-JAY and the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), Jadhav said the scheme continues to expand access to quality healthcare under the government's flagship health insurance program.

Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav said the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) has facilitated cashless treatments worth more than INR 1.91 lakh crore through a network of over 37,000 empaneled hospitals across India.

Speaking at the National Health Authority's (NHA) two-day review meeting, Chintan Shivir, on the implementation of AB PM-JAY and the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), Jadhav said the scheme continues to expand access to quality healthcare under the government's flagship health insurance program.

"Every cashless treatment provided under AB PM-JAY reaffirms the commitment to the spirit of Antyodaya to ensure that the last person in the queue receives priority in accessing quality healthcare," Jadhav said.

Reviewing the scheme's performance over the past seven years, he noted that AB PM-JAY has become one of the world's largest government-funded health insurance programs by enabling cashless treatment through its nationwide hospital network.

On the digital health front, Jadhav said the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission has generated more than 94 crore Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) numbers and linked over 100 crore digital health records.

He said the next phase of the mission, referred to as ABDM 2.0, should focus on improving patient access to health records across states, simplifying the discovery of nearby healthcare facilities, and strengthening integration with AB PM-JAY rather than measuring success solely by the number of digital records created.

The minister inaugurated the two-day review meeting attended by senior officials from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the National Health Authority, and state and Union Territory governments. During the event, he released the NHA's annual report along with implementation guideline compendiums covering district implementation units, beneficiary empowerment, and hospital empanelment.

NHA Chief Executive Officer Dr. Sunil Kumar Barnwal said the Chintan Shivir serves as a platform for states and Union Territories to assess progress, exchange best practices, and address implementation challenges under both flagship programs.

Barnwal also highlighted the role of state-level data analytics and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, in strengthening healthcare delivery. He cited digital initiatives such as the upgraded Ayushman App, Aarogya Setu 2.0, Ayushman Sarathi, and the National Drug Registry as tools to improve access to digital health services.

The review meeting also assessed progress in beneficiary coverage, claims management, hospital empanelment, Ayushman card generation, enrollment of ASHA and Anganwadi workers, implementation of the Ayushman Vay Vandana Yojana, and expansion of interoperable digital health services under ABDM.

The collaboration will initially focus on cardiovascular and renal diseases, oncology, and women's health while using artificial intelligence (AI), analytics, and electronic health record (EHR) data to improve trial design and patient recruitment.

Bayer has entered into a strategic research partnership with Henry Ford Health to expand patient access to clinical trials, combining Bayer's global drug development capabilities with Henry Ford Health's clinical research infrastructure.

The collaboration will initially focus on cardiovascular and renal diseases, oncology, and women's health while using artificial intelligence (AI), analytics, and electronic health record (EHR) data to improve trial design and patient recruitment.

The partnership aims to reduce barriers to clinical trial participation and enable patients to access investigational treatments earlier within the healthcare settings where they already receive care.

According to Henry Ford Health, the initial research areas include cardiovascular and renal conditions such as thrombosis, heart failure, stroke, and chronic kidney disease; oncology programs focused on advanced cancers and targeted therapies; and women's health, including treatments for menopausal symptoms and gynecologic conditions.

The organizations will collaborate across the entire clinical trial process, applying data-driven approaches to optimize study design and improve patient identification. The partnership also includes plans to generate real-world evidence on treatment outcomes and support innovation and workforce development in healthcare data science.

"Clinical trials are often the first opportunity patients have to access cutting-edge treatments," said Dr. David Lanfear, chief scientific officer at Henry Ford Health. He said the collaboration is intended to make clinical research more accessible, reduce participation barriers, and accelerate the development of new therapies.

Christoph Koenen, head of clinical development and operations at Bayer, said the company is working with healthcare institutions to help improve patient access to investigational treatments within local communities while advancing drug discovery.

Henry Ford Health is one of four academic health systems in the United States selected by Bayer for its strategic research model. The health system cited its integrated care network, diverse patient population, and clinical research capabilities as key factors in the collaboration.

The announcement follows Bayer's strategic alliance announced earlier this month with the University of Colorado Anschutz, UCHealth, and Children's Hospital Colorado to advance drug development and clinical trials.

The companies said the partnership is expected to expand into additional therapeutic areas over time as research programs evolve.

The platform is aimed at the growing U.S. infusion therapy market, where more than 60% of pharmaceutical assets currently under development are complex therapies that require clinical infusion.

Innovaccer has launched Gravity for Infusion, a specialized AI infrastructure platform designed to automate administrative workflows across the ambulatory infusion access lifecycle. The platform is aimed at the growing U.S. infusion therapy market, where more than 60% of pharmaceutical assets currently under development are complex therapies that require clinical infusion.

Built on Innovaccer's Gravity autonomous operations platform, the solution integrates with existing electronic health records (EHRs), specialty pharmacy systems, and payer networks rather than replacing them. It uses autonomous AI agents to manage referral intake, benefits verification, prior authorization preparation, and appointment scheduling while keeping providers in control of clinical and financial decisions.

According to the company, Gravity for Infusion is designed to reduce administrative delays that often affect treatment initiation by automating repetitive operational tasks across the infusion access process.

The platform automates referral ingestion by extracting clinical information and patient context from incoming referral documents. It also verifies insurance coverage against payer policies, reducing the need for manual eligibility checks. For prior authorizations, the system compiles the required clinical documentation and medical history into payer-specific submission packages intended to reduce initial denials.

Gravity for Infusion also provides a centralized operational dashboard that offers real-time visibility into chair utilization, referral status across sites, and historical payer turnaround times. The dashboard is intended to help infusion providers monitor network capacity and coordinate scheduling across multiple locations.

Unlike fully autonomous systems, Gravity for Infusion incorporates a configurable human-in-the-loop governance model. Healthcare organizations can determine where staff review and approval are required throughout the workflow, allowing providers to review, modify, or approve AI-generated outputs before decisions are finalized.

"Infusion is one of the most operationally demanding areas of care, and the administrative work involved can be what stands between a patient and the start of their treatment," said Abhinav Shashank, Co-Founder and CEO of Innovaccer.

"By bringing Gravity to this workflow, we are giving infusion providers a way to take on that administrative work with AI agents and human oversight, so patients can begin care sooner," he added.

The launch expands Innovaccer's AI infrastructure portfolio with a platform focused specifically on infusion providers seeking to automate operational processes while maintaining oversight of clinical and administrative workflows.

The reported fundraising underscores continued investor interest in AI-driven healthcare platforms, particularly those focused on clinical decision support for physicians.

OpenEvidence, a US-based artificial intelligence platform for healthcare professionals, is reportedly planning to raise $200 million in a new funding round that could value the company at $20 billion. If completed, the deal would mark a significant increase from its reported $3.5 billion valuation in July 2025 and $12 billion valuation earlier this year.

The reported fundraising underscores continued investor interest in AI-driven healthcare platforms, particularly those focused on clinical decision support for physicians.

Over the past year, OpenEvidence has raised approximately $700 million through multiple funding rounds. In October 2025, the company secured $200 million in a Series C round at a $6 billion valuation. About three months later, it raised an additional $250 million in a Series D round, increasing its valuation to $12 billion.

The company's investors reportedly include Thrive Capital, DST Global, Sequoia, Google Ventures, Nvidia, and Mayo Clinic.

Founded in Miami, OpenEvidence develops an AI-powered platform designed to support clinical decision-making by providing evidence-based medical information to healthcare professionals. The platform draws responses from peer-reviewed sources, including the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) oncology guidelines.

According to the company, the platform is used by more than 40% of physicians in the United States across over 10,000 hospitals and medical centers. Access is limited to verified medical professionals, a model intended to maintain clinical credibility while restricting the platform to licensed users.

OpenEvidence has also reported annual revenue of approximately $150 million. Based on the reported figures, a $20 billion valuation would represent a revenue multiple exceeding 130 times annual revenue, reflecting strong investor expectations for long-term growth in AI-enabled healthcare.

The reported fundraising comes as venture capital firms continue to increase investments in healthcare AI, particularly platforms that improve clinical workflows and provide evidence-based support to medical practitioners. Unlike companies operating in blockchain or digital assets, OpenEvidence is focused exclusively on AI applications for healthcare.

The company has not officially confirmed the fundraising round. Market observers will be watching whether the transaction closes and whether the reported $20 billion valuation is finalized.

Earlier in his career, he held senior leadership positions, including Chief Operating Officer at MGM Healthcare and Gleneagles Global Hospitals, Deputy General Manager at Apollo Hospitals, Head of Operations at Fortis Healthcare, Region Head at Vasan Healthcare, and Administrator at Parvathy Hospital.

Baby Memorial Hospitals has appointed Shanmuga Priyan as Cluster CEO for its Chennai, Tamil Nadu operations. In his new role, he will lead the group's operations in Chennai and drive strategic growth, operational excellence, projects, new hospital and clinic initiatives, and healthcare transformation.

Shanmuga Priyan brings more than 24 years of experience in hospital operations, P&L management, project commissioning, business development, quality, and strategic planning.

Prior to joining Baby Memorial Hospitals, Shanmuga Priyan served as Chief Strategist for Southeast Asia at JOGO Health.

Earlier in his career, he held senior leadership positions, including Chief Operating Officer at MGM Healthcare and Gleneagles Global Hospitals, Deputy General Manager at Apollo Hospitals, Head of Operations at Fortis Healthcare, Region Head at Vasan Healthcare, and Administrator at Parvathy Hospital.

Over the past five years, he also served as an Independent Healthcare Consultant, advising healthcare organizations, hospital groups, medical institutions, startups, and expansion projects across India and international markets. He worked as a strategic advisor to organizations including SRM Corporate Hospitals, Medway Group of Hospitals, MGM Healthcare, Reliva Rehab, Dr Humayun Speciality Hospital, Wellcube Dubai, and St. Peter's Medical College & Hospital. His work focused on hospital commissioning, healthcare transformation, business expansion, and strategic transactions.

His appointment marks a new leadership addition for Baby Memorial Hospitals as the group continues its operations in Chennai.

Months back, the US-based private equity firm KKR invested INR 1,750 crore in the Hospital, aimed at strengthening the hospital chain’s acquisition strategy and regional expansion Following the investment, KKR’s ownership in the hospital has increased to aproximately 75%.

KKR's investment strategy with BMH mirrors its earlier approach with Max Healthcare and Radiant Life Care, where it facilitated consolidation and scale before exiting at significant returns. The current plan includes expanding existing facilities and actively pursuing acquisitions of other hospital assets.

KKR initially invested around INR 2,100 crore in Baby Memorial Hospital in July 2024 to build a network of hospitals in southern India. It subsequently increased its investment by INR 1,261 crore in the hospital in September last year, before the latest investment.

Currently, BMH operates a network of nine hospitals across Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, with a total bed capacity of approximately 3,000. As per reports, the combined entity is expected to generate INR 2,500 crore in revenue this financial year.

His focus will be on improving health outcomes, reducing friction for patients and clinicians, and building a more intelligent, efficient, and responsible healthcare ecosystem.

UnitedHealth Group Optum has appointed Shobhit Varshney as its Chief AI Officer. In his new role, he will bring together the organization's AI strategy, enterprise AI platform, and AI delivery under a unified vision to accelerate the responsible adoption of Artificial Intelligence across the business.

Varshney will lead the development, governance, and scaling of AI across Optum and UnitedHealth Group. His focus will be on improving health outcomes, reducing friction for patients and clinicians, and building a more intelligent, efficient, and responsible healthcare ecosystem.

Before joining UnitedHealth Group Optum, Varshney served as Global Head of AI at Citi. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, he led the company's enterprise-wide AI strategy, established its AI operating model, drove enterprise transformation through agentic AI, strengthened Responsible AI governance, and built an enterprise AI Command Center for AI lifecycle management, risk monitoring, and regulatory compliance.

Earlier, he spent more than 13 years at IBM, where he held several leadership positions across consulting, Artificial Intelligence, analytics, and enterprise transformation. Most recently, he served as Head of Data & AI, Vice President & Senior Partner, leading IBM Consulting's Data, AI & Automation business across the United States, Canada, and Latin America with full P&L responsibility for a multi-billion-dollar practice.

Previously, he was Partner & Americas Head of AI, leading AI transformation programs for global organizations including PepsiCo, Elevance Health, Merck, CVS Health, American Express, Toyota, Pfizer, and AT&T. He began his IBM career as Associate Partner & Consultant, helping establish the company's AI and advanced analytics capabilities across the Americas.

Before IBM, Varshney served as Product Lead, Visualization & Analytics Group at Bloomberg, where he led the development of advanced analytics and visualization capabilities for the Bloomberg Terminal. Earlier, he worked as a Software Architect at Intel Corporation, contributing to next-generation mobile technologies and filing a patent for Intel Smart Connect Technology.

He also co-founded a green ready-mix concrete company in India, successfully growing it into a profitable manufacturing business before handing over operational leadership to his co-founder.

With more than 20 years of experience across Artificial Intelligence, healthcare, enterprise technology, financial services, consulting, product innovation, and entrepreneurship, Varshney has built expertise in large-scale AI transformation, Responsible AI governance, and business innovation.

His appointment reflects UnitedHealth Group Optum's continued commitment to using AI responsibly to improve healthcare delivery, patient experiences, and operational excellence.

Healthcare transformation is no longer about digitizing hospitals, it is about building connected, intelligence-driven ecosystems. With digital public infrastructure such as ABDM and growing investments in AI, cloud, and connected technologies, India has an opportunity to leapfrog legacy healthcare models and create a more interoperable, predictive, and patient-centric future.

Unlike many mature healthcare markets that continue to navigate fragmented legacy systems, India can adopt a more integrated approach to digital transformation. Achieving this vision will require interoperable data platforms, secure infrastructure, AI-powered insights, and stronger collaboration across the healthcare ecosystem.

In this interview, Paul Watson, Vice President, Global Lead – Healthcare & Life Sciences, Hitachi Digital Services, provides his perspective on the technological and infrastructure shifts required to advance India's healthcare transformation. The discussion explores global lessons on interoperability, the convergence of AI, IoT, and Operational Technology, and the role of ABDM in enabling a connected, intelligent, and future-ready healthcare ecosystem.

Hitachi operates across mature healthcare systems like the US and rapidly evolving markets like India. What are the biggest lessons India can adopt without repeating the mistakes of developed healthcare systems?

India has a unique opportunity to leapfrog traditional healthcare modernization by building intelligence into its healthcare ecosystem from the start. Many mature healthcare markets invested heavily in digitization over the past two decades, but often created fragmented environments where electronic health records, imaging platforms, medical devices, and operational systems evolved independently. As a result, data became trapped in silos, making it difficult to generate real-time insights or coordinate care across providers.

India does not have to repeat that journey. By leveraging initiatives such as the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) and designing around interoperability from the outset, healthcare organizations can establish connected ecosystems where data moves securely across hospitals, diagnostic centers, laboratories, insurers, and patients. The objective should not simply be digital healthcare, but intelligent healthcare, where information is transformed into actionable insights that improve clinical outcomes and operational performance.

Hitachi Digital Services brings together deep expertise in healthcare applications, cloud, data engineering, AI, cybersecurity, and Operational Technology to help healthcare providers build these connected ecosystems. We believe healthcare transformation should be designed around the entire patient journey rather than individual technologies.

As healthcare moves from digitization to intelligence, what role will interoperable data platforms, AI, IoT and operational technologies play in building predictive healthcare ecosystems?

Healthcare is entering a new phase where data becomes the foundation for intelligent decision-making. AI has tremendous potential, but its effectiveness depends entirely on access to trusted, interoperable data. Clinical records, imaging, laboratory systems, connected medical devices, and operational infrastructure all generate valuable information that must work together rather than independently.

Interoperable data platforms provide the foundation by connecting these diverse sources into a unified environment. IoT devices continuously generate real-time clinical and operational signals. AI transforms those signals into predictive insights, helping clinicians identify risks earlier, optimize treatment pathways, and improve patient outcomes. Operational Technology extends those insights into the physical environment by connecting hospital infrastructure, biomedical equipment, facilities, and clinical operations.

At Hitachi Digital Services, we refer to this convergence as the next generation of intelligent healthcare, where Data Intelligence, enterprise applications, IT and OT integration, and Physical AI work together to improve both patient care and operational resilience.

How can India balance affordability with advanced technologies such as AI-driven diagnostics, connected medical devices and precision medicine?

Technology should reduce the cost of healthcare while improving quality and access. Cloud native platforms, AI-enabled diagnostics, connected medical devices, and remote monitoring allow advanced clinical capabilities to be delivered without requiring every healthcare facility to invest in expensive specialist infrastructure.

Rather than concentrating expertise within large urban hospitals, intelligent platforms allow knowledge to be distributed across healthcare networks. AI can assist clinicians with diagnostics, remote specialists can support local providers, and connected devices can continuously monitor patients outside traditional care settings.

The focus should be on building scalable digital platforms that make advanced healthcare more accessible rather than more expensive. Our experience across global healthcare systems demonstrates that digital innovation delivers its greatest value when it expands access while maintaining consistent clinical quality.

What infrastructure gaps still prevent hospitals from moving beyond digitization to truly connected healthcare?

Many hospitals have digitized individual workflows but remain disconnected at the enterprise level. Clinical systems, imaging platforms, biomedical devices, facilities management, supply chain operations, and patient engagement applications frequently operate as separate environments.

The next stage of healthcare transformation requires modern hybrid cloud infrastructure, interoperable data platforms, standardized APIs, cybersecurity by design, and integrated operational visibility. Hospitals also need stronger governance around data quality and data sharing to ensure AI solutions can operate safely and effectively.

Equally important is the convergence of IT and Operational Technology. Connected hospital infrastructure enables healthcare organizations to monitor critical assets, optimize resource utilization, reduce equipment downtime, and improve patient safety through predictive operational intelligence.

How can public digital infrastructure, such as ABDM, accelerate innovation for private healthcare providers and technology companies?

ABDM has the potential to become one of the world’s most significant healthcare interoperability initiatives because it establishes a trusted digital infrastructure rather than isolated applications.

Its greatest value lies in creating a common framework that allows healthcare providers, technology companies, medical device manufacturers, insurers, and digital health innovators to build interoperable solutions. Standardized data exchange enables organizations to develop AI-powered diagnostics, remote monitoring platforms, personalized medicine solutions, and predictive healthcare services without creating additional silos.

Technology companies have an opportunity to innovate on top of this shared foundation while helping healthcare organizations accelerate digital transformation in a secure and scalable manner.

The $500 Million agreement focuses on deploying advanced imaging systems, precision diagnostics, and AI-enabled technologies to support patient care across Catholic Health's hospitals and ambulatory facilities.

Long Island-based integrated health system Catholic Health has entered into a 10-year strategic partnership with GE HealthCare to expand advanced medical technology capabilities across its care network.

Valued at approximately $500 million, the Care Alliance agreement focuses on deploying advanced imaging systems, precision diagnostics, and AI-enabled technologies to support patient care across Catholic Health's hospitals and ambulatory facilities.

The initiative is expected to introduce more than 1,300 pieces of medical equipment across six acute care hospitals and 36 ambulatory sites.

The Care Alliance will prioritise key clinical areas including cardiology, oncology, neurology, and women’s health.

Beyond clinical application, the partnership will also deploy AI-powered technologies to support scheduling, operations, diagnostics, and monitoring across on-device, departmental, and enterprise-level applications.

Through this modernization initiative, Catholic Health aims to expand access to advanced cardiac imaging across outpatient and ambulatory care settings, enhance oncology services with AI-enabled MR, CT, and PET technologies to support faster diagnosis and treatment, and strengthen nuclear medicine capabilities at its flagship hospitals.

In addition, the initiative aims to deploy additional ultrasound systems to improve clinical efficiency and point-of-care delivery, and advance women's health services through expanded OB/GYN and maternal-fetal medicine capabilities.

A notable component of the partnership is the inclusion of an embedded cardiovascular scientist who will work alongside Catholic Health clinicians.

The approach is intended to provide clinical insights and physician perspectives to inform future technology development and equipment planning.

Speaking on the initiative, Gary Havican, Interim President and CEO and Chief Operating Officer of Catholic Health said, “By combining Catholic Health’s clinical expertise and commitment to compassionate, high-quality care with GE HealthCare’s advanced technology, AI-driven tools, and digital capabilities, we are enhancing our ability to deliver precision care, expand access to specialized services closer to home, and create a more seamless experience for patients and clinicians.”

“The partnership also gives our physicians and care teams a meaningful voice in shaping the future of care so innovation is guided by real clinical and patient needs,” he added.

For patients, the partnership is designed to have a tangible impact on their clinical experience.

As part of the 10-year Care Alliance, approximately 50% of equipment additions will arrive at Catholic Health clinical sites during the first three years of the agreement.

The partnership is also anticipated to support long-term technology modernization efforts while enabling investments in patient access and clinical service expansion.

Currently, the hospital chain operates a network of 17 centres across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Odisha. With the new addition, the group will now operate 18 Centers with over 1,500 beds.

The 300-bed Advanced Mother and Child Centre, equipped with state-of-the-art medical facilities, is expected to enhance maternal and child healthcare services and benefit thousands of families across Chandigarh and neighbouring states.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated multiple healthcare projects at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, as part of a broader development package worth over ₹4,700 crore covering healthcare, education, and road infrastructure.

At PGIMER, the Prime Minister inaugurated the Advanced Mother and Child Centre and the Advanced Neurosciences Centre, aimed at strengthening tertiary healthcare services for the region.

The 300-bed Advanced Mother and Child Centre, equipped with state-of-the-art medical facilities, is expected to enhance maternal and child healthcare services and benefit thousands of families across Chandigarh and neighbouring states.

The Advanced Neurosciences Centre will provide integrated services in neurology, neurosurgery, neuro-critical care, and advanced diagnostics under one roof. The facility is designed to deliver timely treatment for patients with complex neurological disorders while strengthening medical research, education, and training in neurosciences.

The inauguration was attended by Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, and Congress MP Manish Tewari. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi visited Haryana's Jind to flag off India's first hydrogen-powered train between Jind and Sonipat before arriving in Chandigarh.

Addressing the gathering, Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda said India's healthcare sector has witnessed significant progress over the past 12 years under Prime Minister Modi's leadership. He highlighted the National Health Policy 2017, stating that it marked a shift towards a comprehensive healthcare approach encompassing promotive, preventive, curative, palliative, geriatric, and rehabilitative care.

Prime Minister Modi described Chandigarh as a key healthcare hub for North India, noting that its healthcare institutions serve not only residents of the Union Territory but also patients from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir.

Alongside the healthcare initiatives, Modi highlighted Chandigarh's transformation under the Smart City Mission, stating that more than ₹2,500 crore has been invested in technology-driven urban infrastructure, including the Integrated Command and Control Centre, Smart Traffic Management, Smart Parking, and digital governance initiatives.

The park has already begun attracting interest from companies operating across multiple MedTech segments, including radiology and imaging, implants, in-vitro diagnostics, anaesthesia and respiratory devices, cardiology, and cancer care technologies.

The 350-acre YEIDA Medical Device Park near Noida International Airport is taking shape as a comprehensive MedTech manufacturing ecosystem, with 120 industrial plots allotted, over 20 companies under construction, and facilities ranging from AI laboratories to rapid prototyping aimed at accelerating medical device innovation.

Speaking at the recent MedTech Investors' Meet, YEIDA Additional Chief Executive Officer Shailendra Bhatia said the Medical Device Park will serve as a major manufacturing hub for North India.

Located just three kilometres from Noida International Airport, the Medical Device Park is expected to provide seamless access to domestic and international markets, improving logistics and export opportunities for manufacturers.

According to the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA), the Medical Device Park has been designed to provide an integrated ecosystem with common scientific and industrial infrastructure.

These facilities include rapid prototyping services, artificial intelligence laboratories, and a common warehouse, allowing companies to access shared resources instead of developing them independently.

The model is expected to lower production costs while accelerating product development and commercialization.

The authority also highlighted that leading academic and institutional partners, including IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur, Invest UP, and the Export Promotion Council, are supporting the project through research collaboration, innovation, and capacity-building initiatives.

Manufacturing units established within the Medical Device Park will also be eligible for multiple government incentives.

These include capital interest subsidies, exemptions on stamp duty, assistance for skill development, support for quality certification, and marketing incentives designed to encourage investment and enhance competitiveness.

The park has already begun attracting interest from companies operating across multiple MedTech segments, including radiology and imaging, implants, in-vitro diagnostics, anaesthesia and respiratory devices, cardiology, and cancer care technologies.

The latest progress follows a series of initiatives undertaken by YEIDA to position the Medical Device Park as a global investment destination.

Earlier this year, the authority signed an MoU with Medical Excellence Japan (MEJ) to strengthen research and development, facilitate technology transfer, and attract Japanese investment into the project.

During his visit to Japan, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also promoted the Medical Device Park to leading Japanese companies, encouraging international investment in medical device manufacturing.

The collaboration extends beyond compliance by focusing on research, innovation, and stronger industry-academia partnerships.

The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UP Promote Pharma Council (UPPPC) to strengthen quality standards, regulatory systems, and innovation across India's pharmaceutical and medical device sectors.

The collaboration has also been designed to improve patient safety, support industry capacity building, and encourage research partnerships, reinforcing Uttar Pradesh's position as an emerging healthcare manufacturing hub.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the partnership reflects IPC's ongoing commitment to improving healthcare quality, encouraging innovation, and reinforcing India's regulatory framework.

The ministry added that the collaboration aims to build a stronger ecosystem centred on quality, safety, innovation, and global competitiveness.

Under the MoU, the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission and the UP Promote Pharma Council will work together to improve quality standards and regulatory compliance across pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing.

The partnership also aims to increase awareness of the Indian Pharmacopoeia, pharmacovigilance, and materiovigilance practices through training programmes, workshops, and stakeholder engagement initiatives.

The collaboration extends beyond compliance by focusing on research, innovation, and stronger industry-academia partnerships.

Both organisations will jointly support knowledge-sharing initiatives that encourage the adoption of best practices while helping the sector meet evolving regulatory expectations.

A key component of the partnership is support for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission and the UP Promote Pharma Council plan to promote digital tools that simplify adverse event reporting, enabling smaller manufacturers to participate more effectively in pharmacovigilance and materiovigilance programmes.

These efforts are expected to strengthen quality monitoring while improving the reporting of medicine- and medical device-related safety issues.

The agreement also places significant emphasis on patient safety through enhanced quality-assurance mechanisms and post-market surveillance.

Strengthening these systems can help identify potential safety concerns after products reach the market, allowing regulators and manufacturers to respond more effectively and maintain confidence in healthcare products.

Its cardiology services are supported by advanced Cath Lab equipped with technologies such as intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), optical coherence tomography (OCT), and Rotablation angioplasty

Zydus Hospitals has announced the expansion of its advanced cardiac care programme across its facilities in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, and Anand, strengthening access to specialised cardiovascular services in Western India.

The enhanced cardiac capabilities include complex cardiac interventions, structural heart procedures, heart rhythm management, paediatric cardiology, and heart transplantation.

According to the hospital network, the initiative is aimed at enhancing the availability of comprehensive cardiac care through advanced technologies and multidisciplinary clinical expertise.

Its cardiology services are supported by advanced catheterisation laboratories equipped with technologies such as intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), optical coherence tomography (OCT), and Rotablation angioplasty. The hospital also offers advanced structural heart procedures, including Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI), alongside a dedicated Heart Rhythm Clinic and a multidisciplinary heart transplant programme.

The hospital reported managing several complex chronic total occlusion (CTO) angioplasty cases using both antegrade and retrograde techniques.

In one case, specialists performed a retrograde CTO intervention after conventional access was not feasible, helping the patient avoid open-heart surgery.

In another challenging case involving a dialysis patient with severe anaemia, IVUS-guided imaging enabled successful treatment despite multiple clinical risks.

Further, Zydus Hospitals has also highlighted its expertise in the electrophysiology programme focused on treating complex cardiac rhythm disorders.

Using advanced 3D mapping technology, specialists successfully treated a seven-year-old child suffering from tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy by identifying and ablating an arrhythmia originating from the epicardial surface of the heart. The child's heart function reportedly returned to normal within weeks without the need for long-term medication.

According to the hospital, most cardiac rhythm disorders treated through catheter ablation can either be cured or significantly improve patients' quality of life, reducing dependence on lifelong medication.

The cardiac care programme brings together interventional cardiologists, electrophysiologists, cardiac surgeons, perfusionists, intensivists, and transplant specialists across the hospital network.

Through this integrated approach, Zydus Hospitals aims to provide advanced cardiac diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care to patients of all ages across the Western India region.

RIKO combines ten federated reasoning models that continuously learn through a shared contextual architecture, enabling the platform to evaluate multiple parameters simultaneously before decisions are finalised.

Hyderabad-based HRV Pharma has unveiled India's first AI-native pharmaceutical operating system, RIKO, designed to improve sourcing, regulatory, quality, and manufacturing decisions.

Built using the company's operational knowledge accumulated over seven years, the platform has been designed to help manufacturers, suppliers, and licensing partners identify potential risks earlier and make faster, data-driven decisions.

HRV Pharma said RIKO has been developed entirely in-house using millions of proprietary pharmaceutical decisions generated through its network of more than 50 FDA- and EU-GMP-certified manufacturing partners and customers across 55 countries.

Rather than relying primarily on publicly available information, the company said the AI-native pharmaceutical operating system has been trained on real operational workflows covering sourcing, manufacturing, regulatory processes, quality management, and commercial operations.

Commenting on the launch, Hari Kiran Chereddi, Founder, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, HRV Pharma, said, “We didn’t begin by asking how AI could fit into our business. We started by asking why the same preventable problems continue to surface years after critical manufacturing and sourcing decisions have already been made. That question became the foundation of RIKO.”

“Large language models have become increasingly accessible. Manufacturing capacity can be expanded. Technology can be replicated. What takes years to build is institutional intelligence, the accumulated understanding of how pharmaceutical decisions actually unfold across chemistry, regulation, quality, supply, and commercialization. We believe that will define the next generation of industry leaders,” he added.

RIKO combines ten federated reasoning models that continuously learn through a shared contextual architecture.

This enables the platform to evaluate multiple parameters simultaneously, including chemistry risk, nitrosamine potential, supplier reliability, manufacturing capability, regulatory history, commercial alignment, and market signals before sourcing commitments or licensing decisions are finalised.

HRV Pharma stated that the platform currently achieves 94% predictive accuracy in identifying potential nitrosamine-related risk patterns during early assessments, enabling technical teams to investigate concerns before they emerge during conventional review processes.

The company also said supplier qualification timelines have been reduced by 85%, cutting processes that previously took four to eight weeks while maintaining human oversight for final approval.

In addition, inbound commercial enquiries can be assessed, matched with suitable suppliers, and prioritised in under two seconds.

For manufacturing partners, the AI-native pharmaceutical operating system is intended to replace lengthy qualification procedures with a faster and more transparent evaluation process.

For customers and licensing partners, the platform is designed to surface quality, compliance, and supply risks before agreements are signed, reducing the likelihood of issues being discovered during audits or after products reach the market.

The 11-bedded "ICU of the Future" integrates Medtronic’s advanced Acute Care Monitoring and digital technologies aimed at advancing critical care delivery.

In a move to strengthen critical care infrastructure, Apollo Hospitals and global healthcare technology company Medtronic have launched an advanced ICU facility at Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad.

The 11-bedded "ICU of the Future" integrates Medtronic’s advanced Acute Care Monitoring and digital technologies to advance critical care delivery.

As part of the initiative, an MoU was signed by Dr Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Group; Manpreet Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Apollo HealthAxis; and Mandeep Singh Kumar, Managing Director & Vice President, India Subcontinent Countries, Medtronic, during a formal inauguration ceremony held at the Jubilee Hills campus.

Speaking at the launch, Dr. Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Group, said, "Critical care is where every decision, every minute and every intervention can make the difference between life and loss. Our responsibility is not only to bring the best technologies to India but to ensure they meaningfully improve clinical decisions and patient outcomes. Together, we are building ICUs that are more connected, more intelligent and better equipped to anticipate deterioration and enable timely interventions."

Developed in collaboration with Medtronic’s ACM team, the initiative seeks to strengthen critical care infrastructure and advance collaborative healthcare innovation.

The advanced facility brings together clinical expertise, digital innovation and advanced healthcare technology to support smarter decision-making, strengthen critical care delivery and enable improved patient outcomes.

It combines Medtronic's advanced patient monitoring technologies with Apollo Hospitals' clinical expertise to create a digitally enabled critical care environment designed to enhance personalised care while serving as a real-world innovation platform for future healthcare technologies.

In addition, the digitally enabled ICU is intended to serve as a collaborative innovation hub which is expected to support clinicians and technology developers can work together to better understand critical care challenges and develop smarter, connected solutions.

Commenting on the new initiative, Mandeep Singh Kumar, Vice President, India Subcontinent Countries, Medtronic, said, “This advanced ICU at Apollo Hospitals reflects a shared commitment to patient care and clinical excellence. Through this collaboration, we aim to gain valuable insights from the real-world clinical environment that can help inform the development of technologies designed to support clinicians and improve patient care in India and around the world.”

The study found that the median turnaround time for TB diagnosis declined from 15 days to five days after introducing drone-based transport.

An ICMR study in Telangana has found that drone-assisted transport of TB sputum samples reduced diagnosis turnaround time from 15 days to five days while lowering patients' out-of-pocket expenses from INR 9,451 to INR 91.

The findings come from ICMR's flagship i-DRONE initiative, which evaluated drone-assisted transport of TB sputum samples in the Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district of Telangana.

Conducted in collaboration with AIIMS Bibinagar and the District TB Office under NTEP, the study enrolled 840 participants and compared conventional patient travel for diagnosis with a drone-enabled model that transported samples collected at nearby Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and sub-centres to designated TB diagnostic laboratories.

Under the drone model, a hub-and-spoke network connected 11 PHCs, 60 sub-centres and four TB Units, allowing patients to submit sputum samples closer to their homes instead of travelling to diagnostic facilities.

The use of drones enabled laboratories to receive samples faster, reducing delays in testing and allowing healthcare providers to confirm diagnoses earlier.

"Affordable and timely access to diagnosis remains central to India's TB elimination efforts. This study demonstrates how technology can help bridge geographical barriers and reduce the burden on patients, particularly those living in remote areas. The evidence generated through the i-DRONE initiative will help inform future public health innovations while complementing existing healthcare delivery systems," said Dr Rajiv Bahl, Secretary, Department of Health Research and Director General, ICMR.

The study found that the median turnaround time for TB diagnosis declined from 15 days to five days after introducing drone-based transport.

Diagnostic delays were substantially reduced, enabling quicker clinical decision-making and earlier initiation of treatment.

The financial impact on patients was equally significant. Average out-of-pocket expenditure associated with obtaining a TB diagnosis dropped from around INR 9,451 under the conventional system to approximately INR 91 during the drone phase.

Researchers attributed the savings to lower travel costs, reduced wage losses and the availability of sample collection facilities closer to patients' homes.

Notably, the median out-of-pocket expenditure during the drone-enabled phase was zero, indicating that many participants incurred no travel-related expenses.

Healthcare workers involved in the project also reported that drones improved operational efficiency, reduced delays and gained community acceptance after an initial familiarisation period.

However, the study noted that weather conditions, payload limitations and the need for continued workforce training remain important operational considerations before wider deployment.

Similar drone-based healthcare projects have previously been implemented in states including Manipur and Nagaland for transporting medical supplies and diagnostic samples.

The fund is expected to provide blended finance, catalytic equity, and infrastructure support for advanced therapeutics, diagnostics, synthetic biology, biomaterials, fermentation technologies, and large-scale biomanufacturing.

NITI Aayog has released a comprehensive biotechnology roadmap proposing an INR 50,000 Cr BioEconomy Growth Fund, dedicated incentives for biomanufacturing, six national biotechnology missions, and faster regulatory pathways to help India emerge as one of the world's top three biotechnology economies by 2035.

The roadmap also projects the country's bioeconomy to grow from $195.3 Bn in 2025 to $691 Bn by 2035 and further to $2.6 Tn by 2047.

Releasing the roadmap, Union Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said, "The fourth industrial revolution will be driven by biotechnology. We have to scale up quickly as the evolution of science is very fast. For the manpower requirements, we can even think of creating a course in engineering biology."

The recommendations are outlined in the report Roadmap for Building India as a Leading BioEconomy Powerhouse by 2035, released by NITI Aayog's Frontier Tech Hub in collaboration with the Department of Biotechnology, industry representatives, and subject experts.

The roadmap builds on the Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment (BioE3) policy and argues that India now needs focused execution supported by financing, regulatory reforms, and coordinated governance across ministries.

According to the roadmap, India's bioeconomy has grown from nearly $10 Bn in 2014 to $195.3 Bn in 2025, accounting for about 4.8% of the country's GDP.

INR 50,000 Cr Fund to Boost Biomanufacturing

The proposed INR 50,000 Cr BioEconomy Growth Fund for the 2026-2035 period is intended to address what the report describes as the "valley of death," the financing gap that often prevents promising laboratory discoveries from reaching commercial-scale production.

The fund is expected to provide blended finance, catalytic equity, and infrastructure support for advanced therapeutics, diagnostics, synthetic biology, biomaterials, fermentation technologies, and large-scale biomanufacturing.

It is also proposed to operate within the government's INR 1 lakh Cr Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) framework aimed at attracting greater private-sector investment in research.

The roadmap has also recommended introducing a dedicated production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for biomanufacturing to strengthen domestic production, reduce dependence on imported biological inputs, and position India as a competitive global manufacturing hub for biotechnology products.

Six National BioMissions Proposed

To accelerate innovation, NITI Aayog has proposed six National BioMissions covering GeneIndia for gene and cell therapies, AgriBio 2.0 for climate-resilient agriculture, Bio-X Foundry for AI-enabled synthetic biology, One Health Grid for integrated disease surveillance, Marine Biotechnology to support the blue economy, and BioPharmaNext to advance biologics, biosimilars, vaccines, and next-generation therapies.

Regulatory Reforms & Governance Framework

The report also recommends simplifying and modernising India's regulatory framework through time-bound approvals, regulatory sandboxes for emerging technologies, modernisation of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), stronger intellectual property protection, and closer collaboration between academia and industry.

Highlighting the importance of regulatory reforms, former WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan said, "We need regulation overhaul in drug discovery. Otherwise many small countries will move ahead and we will no longer be called the pharmacy of the world."

Additional proposals include creating a National BioData Council, an empowered committee to oversee the National BioMissions, and a BioEconomy Investment and Policy Forum to improve coordination between public and private stakeholders.

Despite rapid investments in digital healthcare, millions of Indians still cannot fully access healthcare simply because they cannot interact with digital health services in a language they understand. From teleconsultations and patient portals to prescription instructions and public health advisories, language remains one of the most overlooked barriers to healthcare access. As India accelerates initiatives such as the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), solving the language gap has become as critical as building digital infrastructure itself.

Many healthcare applications, hospital information systems (HIS), and patient education materials are still predominantly available in English or Hindi, limiting accessibility for millions of citizens. Communication barriers often result in poor health literacy, misunderstanding of treatment plans, medication errors, and lower adoption of telemedicine services.

Recent advances in artificial intelligence, including multilingual Large Language Models (LLMs) and voice enabled AI, Natural Language Processing (NLP), speech recognition, and machine translation are now emerging as a powerful enabler of truly inclusive healthcare. These technologies are enabling healthcare providers to deliver services in regional languages. By making healthcare more understandable and culturally relevant, “Regional Language AI” has the potential to improve patient engagement, strengthen healthcare equity, and accelerate India's vision of universal digital health.

Why Vernacular AI Matters in Healthcare

Regional Language AI is not only a translation tool, it is a strategic enabler of equitable, patient-centric healthcare. By enabling patients to access healthcare information and services in the language they understand best, it addresses one of India's most persistent barriers to digital health adoption. Its impact extends across five critical dimensions.

1) Healthcare Accessibility: For millions of Indians, particularly in rural and semi-urban regions, language remains a significant barrier to accessing digital healthcare services. AI-powered multilingual interfaces, voice assistants, and regional language support enable patients to navigate telemedicine platforms, health records, appointment booking systems, and digital health applications more confidently. This makes healthcare services more inclusive and reduces disparities in access.

2) Health Literacy and Patient Empowerment: Patients are more likely to participate actively in their care when they clearly understand their diagnosis, treatment options, medication instructions, and preventive health guidance. Regional Language AI simplifies complex medical information into easy-to-understand, culturally relevant content, improving health literacy, strengthening treatment adherence, and enabling individuals to make more informed healthcare decisions.

3) Better Clinical Communication: Accurate communication between healthcare providers and patients is fundamental to quality care. Language barriers can result in incomplete medical histories, misunderstanding of symptoms, medication errors, and reduced patient trust. AI-powered speech recognition, real-time translation, and conversational AI facilitate clearer multilingual interactions during both in-person consultations and virtual care, supporting more accurate diagnosis and improved clinical outcomes.

4) Accelerating Digital Health Adoption: India has made significant investments in digital health platforms through initiatives such as ABDM and eSanjeevani. However, adoption depends on whether these services are intuitive for diverse user populations. Voice-first, multilingual interfaces lower the barriers for first-time users, elderly citizens, and individuals with limited digital literacy, encouraging broader participation in telemedicine and other digital health services.

5) Advancing Public Health Equity: Regional Language AI enables governments and healthcare organizations to deliver vaccination campaigns, disease awareness initiatives, maternal and child health programmes, and emergency health advisories in multiple Indian languages. By ensuring that critical health information is accessible to linguistically diverse communities, multilingual AI strengthens public health outreach, improves citizen engagement, and supports more equitable healthcare delivery across the country.

Impact Pathway of Regional Language AI in Healthcare

The value of Regional Language AI extends far beyond translation. It influences every stage of the patient journey, from discovering healthcare services and understanding symptoms to receiving treatment, following medication instructions, and participating in long-term care. The following framework illustrates how language-enabled AI creates a continuous pathway toward more inclusive, patient-centric healthcare delivery across India's digital health ecosystem.

AI Technologies Enabling Vernacular HealthTech

Advances in Artificial Intelligence are making multilingual healthcare a practical reality rather than a future aspiration. Technologies such as LLMs, speech AI, machine translation, and NLPs are enabling healthcare providers to communicate more effectively with patients across India's diverse linguistic landscape. Their value lies not only in the underlying technology but in how they are transforming patient engagement, clinical workflows, and digital health delivery.

Large Language Models (LLMs): Are AI systems capable of understanding and generating text across multiple languages, including several Indian languages. Advances in multilingual foundation models have significantly improved their ability to process healthcare terminology and patient interactions.

In healthcare, LLMs power multilingual virtual assistants that answer patient queries, simplify medical information, generate health education content, and support clinical documentation. Hospitals are increasingly using them for discharge summaries, referral letters, and patient communication to reduce administrative workload. In India, companies such as Sarvam AI and Krutrim, alongside global models like Google Gemini and OpenAI GPT, are enabling more accessible and efficient multilingual healthcare services.

Speech-to-Text (Automatic Speech Recognition): Converts spoken conversations into digital text in real time, enabling accurate multilingual transcription during healthcare interactions. Healthcare providers use STT to document doctor–patient consultations, reducing manual data entry and improving clinical efficiency. During teleconsultations, patients can speak in their native language while AI generates structured clinical notes for Electronic Health Records (EHRs). Platforms such as BHASHINI, Microsoft Azure AI Speech, and Google Cloud Speech-to-Text are expanding multilingual documentation capabilities across Indian healthcare.

Text-to-Speech (TTS): Converts written healthcare information into natural-sounding speech, making digital health services more accessible to users with limited literacy or visual impairments. Healthcare organizations use TTS to deliver medication reminders, explain prescriptions, provide discharge instructions, and support preventive health campaigns in regional languages. Voice-enabled services also improve engagement among elderly and rural populations. Platforms such as BHASHINI are helping public health agencies deliver multilingual health communication at scale.

Conversational AI and Voice AI: Enable patients to interact naturally with healthcare systems using text or voice in their preferred language. Healthcare providers are deploying these technologies for appointment scheduling, symptom assessment, medication reminders, and patient support. Virtual assistants also reduce call centre workloads while improving patient engagement. As they integrate with ABDM and the Unified Health Interface (UHI), patients will increasingly access digital health services through simple voice interactions.

AI Medical Scribes: Uses speech recognition and generative AI to automatically create structured clinical documentation during patient consultations. These solutions enable physicians to focus more on patient care while AI prepares consultation notes, referral letters, and discharge summaries. Ambient AI also improves documentation consistency and reduces clinician burnout. Solutions such as Microsoft Dragon Copilot, Abridge, and Suki AI demonstrate how multilingual AI can streamline clinical workflows and support ABDM-compliant digital records.

Machine Translation: Enables real-time translation of healthcare conversations and medical documents across multiple languages. Healthcare organizations use this technology to translate prescriptions, consent forms, discharge summaries, patient education materials, and telemedicine consultations. It improves communication between clinicians and patients without relying solely on human interpreters. BHASHINI, Microsoft Translator, and Google Translate are helping healthcare providers deliver more inclusive multilingual services.

Natural Language Processing (NLP) for Electronic Health Records: NLP enables AI to interpret and organize unstructured clinical information into structured, searchable data.

Healthcare organizations use NLP to standardize Electronic Health Records, automate clinical documentation, improve coding accuracy, and support clinical decision-making. Multilingual NLP also strengthens interoperability by analysing records created in different Indian languages. As adoption of ABDM-compliant EHRs grows, NLP will become increasingly important for population health analytics and AI-driven healthcare insights.

Indian Innovations Driving Vernacular HealthTech

While global AI platforms have accelerated multilingual capabilities, India's vernacular health ecosystem is being shaped by homegrown innovations designed specifically for the country's linguistic diversity. Among these, BHASHINI and Sarvam AI are emerging as foundational enablers of multilingual digital healthcare.

BHASHINI: India's Digital Public Infrastructure for Language AI: Developed under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), BHASHINI is India's national AI language platform that aims to make digital services accessible in every major Indian language. Through open APIs for machine translation, speech recognition, text-to-speech, and language processing, BHASHINI enables healthcare providers, digital health platforms, and government agencies to build multilingual applications without developing language models from scratch. As integration with initiatives such as the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) expands, BHASHINI has the potential to become the foundational language infrastructure powering voice-first and multilingual healthcare across India.

Key capabilities

• Government-backed Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for language AI
• APIs for machine translation, speech recognition, and speech synthesis
• Supports multiple Indian languages and dialects
• Enables multilingual healthcare applications and public health communication
• Potential foundation for voice-enabled healthcare integrated with ABDM

Sarvam AI: Building India's Multilingual Foundation Models: Sarvam AI is one of India's leading AI startups developing multilingual foundation models optimized for Indian languages and real-world enterprise applications. In healthcare, these models can power intelligent patient assistants, multilingual healthcare chatbots, automated clinical documentation, and regional-language patient engagement. By enabling AI systems to understand India's linguistic and cultural context, Sarvam AI is helping bridge communication gaps between healthcare providers and patients while supporting the broader adoption of inclusive digital health services.

Key capabilities

• Indian multilingual foundation models
• Regional-language healthcare chatbots and virtual assistants
• AI-powered patient engagement across Indian languages
• Clinical documentation and healthcare workflow automation
• Enterprise-ready AI for healthcare and other public service applications

Barriers to Scaling Vernacular HealthTech

While Regional Language AI holds immense promise for expanding healthcare access, scaling these solutions across India's diverse healthcare ecosystem requires overcoming several technological, clinical, and operational challenges.

Translation Accuracy and Clinical Safety: Medical communication demands a high degree of precision, and even minor translation errors can have serious clinical consequences. AI-generated translations that work well for everyday conversations may not always accurately convey complex medical terminology, dosage instructions, consent forms, or diagnostic information. Before multilingual AI can be widely adopted in clinical settings, healthcare organizations must establish rigorous validation frameworks to ensure patient safety and regulatory compliance.

Limited Availability of Clinical Language Datasets: Unlike English, many Indian languages lack large, high-quality annotated medical datasets required to train clinically reliable AI models. Variations in medical vocabulary, regional expressions, and dialects further complicate model development. For example, the way patients describe symptoms in rural Karnataka may differ significantly from those in Tamil Nadu, Odisha, or Assam, making it challenging for AI systems to consistently interpret patient inputs across regions. Expanding multilingual clinical datasets through collaboration between healthcare providers, research institutions, and government initiatives will be critical to improving AI accuracy.

Clinical Validation Across India's Diverse Care Settings: Healthcare delivery varies considerably across India, from tertiary hospitals in metropolitan cities to Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Community Health Centres (CHCs), and rural health clinics. AI-powered translations and clinical recommendations must therefore be validated across different care settings, specialties, and languages before being incorporated into prescriptions, discharge summaries, or clinical decision support. Establishing standardized clinical evaluation frameworks will be essential for ensuring consistent and reliable performance nationwide.

Digital Literacy and Frontline Workforce Readiness: Successful adoption depends not only on patients but also on frontline healthcare workers. ASHA workers, Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs), and PHC staff play a pivotal role in delivering healthcare in rural communities, yet many operate in environments with limited digital infrastructure and varying levels of digital literacy. Providing multilingual AI tools alongside appropriate training, intuitive voice-first interfaces, and workflow integration will be essential to ensure these technologies enhance, rather than complicate, frontline healthcare delivery.

Data Privacy, Consent, and Trust: Vernacular AI applications often process sensitive voice recordings, clinical conversations, and personal health information. As healthcare organizations expand multilingual digital services, they must implement robust data governance, obtain informed patient consent in local languages, and align with India's Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) framework. Building trust through transparent AI practices and secure handling of patient data will be fundamental to long-term adoption.

Integration with India's Digital Health Ecosystem: To realize their full potential, multilingual AI solutions must integrate seamlessly with the ABDM, EHRs, HIS, telemedicine platforms, and the UHI. Achieving interoperability across public and private healthcare providers remains a significant implementation challenge, particularly for smaller hospitals and rural healthcare facilities with limited digital maturity.

Sustainable Adoption Across India's Healthcare Landscape: While large hospital networks may have the resources to deploy multilingual AI solutions, adoption among smaller hospitals, independent clinics, and rural healthcare providers is often constrained by infrastructure, funding, and technical expertise. Developing scalable, cloud-based, and cost-effective AI solutions that can be deployed across healthcare organizations of all sizes will be essential for ensuring that the benefits of Vernacular HealthTech reach every segment of India's healthcare system.

The Next Phase of Vernacular HealthTech

As India's digital health ecosystem continues to mature, Regional Language AI is expected to evolve from a translation layer into an intelligent healthcare orchestration platform. The next generation of innovations will combine multilingual AI, Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), and autonomous AI systems to deliver more personalized, proactive, and accessible healthcare.

Agentic AI for Community Healthcare: The Agentic AI has the potential to transform primary and community healthcare. Rather than simply responding to patient queries, multilingual AI agents could proactively monitor chronic disease patients, schedule follow-up appointments, remind individuals to take medications, coordinate referrals across healthcare providers, and escalate high-risk cases to clinicians when necessary. For community health programmes, these AI agents could also support ASHA workers by providing real-time guidance, capturing patient information in regional languages, and improving continuity of care in rural and underserved communities.

Multilingual Clinical Copilots: Healthcare providers are expected to increasingly adopt AI-powered clinical copilots that streamline clinical workflows while improving patient communication. These systems could simultaneously document consultations, translate conversations between clinicians and patients, retrieve patient history through ABDM, generate multilingual clinical summaries, and assist with coding and documentation. By reducing administrative burden and enabling seamless multilingual interactions, clinical copilots can improve clinician productivity while delivering a more patient-centric care experience.

Voice-First Healthcare Integrated with ABDM: Voice interfaces are likely to become the primary mode of interaction for millions of Indians accessing digital healthcare. As speech AI and multilingual language models continue to improve, patients may be able to navigate the entire ABDM ecosystem using natural conversations in their preferred language. From booking appointments and discovering healthcare providers through the UHI to accessing ABHA-linked health records, retrieving prescriptions, scheduling teleconsultations, and receiving personalized follow-up guidance, voice-first experiences could significantly reduce barriers associated with literacy, digital skills, and complex mobile applications.

AI-Powered Public Health Intelligence: Regional Language AI will play an increasingly important role in strengthening public health systems. By analysing multilingual patient interactions, community feedback, and regional health trends, AI can help identify emerging disease outbreaks, monitor public health programmes, and deliver targeted awareness campaigns in local languages. Such capabilities will enable governments and healthcare organizations to respond more quickly and effectively to population health challenges while improving engagement across diverse communities.

India as a Global Blueprint for Multilingual Digital Health: India's unique combination of Digital Public Infrastructure, initiatives such as BHASHINI and ABDM, and a rapidly expanding AI innovation ecosystem positions the country to become a global leader in multilingual digital healthcare. As these platforms mature, India has the opportunity to demonstrate how language-aware AI can bridge healthcare disparities at scale and provide a replicable model for other multilingual and emerging economies seeking to build more inclusive, patient-centric health systems.

Language as Core Healthcare Infrastructure

India has made remarkable progress in building the digital foundations of healthcare through initiatives such as the ABDM, ABHA, UHI, and BHASHINI. Yet, the true success of this transformation will not be determined solely by interoperable platforms, AI models, or digital infrastructure, it will be measured by whether every citizen, regardless of language, literacy, or geography, can meaningfully access and benefit from these innovations.

Regional Language AI represents a fundamental shift in how healthcare is delivered. It moves language beyond translation, transforming it into an enabler of patient engagement, clinical communication, health literacy, and equitable access to care. As multilingual AI becomes embedded across healthcare workflows, it has the potential to bridge longstanding gaps between urban and rural populations, improve continuity of care, and accelerate the adoption of digital health services across India's diverse communities.

Looking ahead, the convergence of multilingual AI, voice-first interfaces, and DPI will redefine how patients interact with the healthcare system. Language should no longer be viewed as a user experience feature; it must be recognized as a foundational component of healthcare infrastructure. India's greatest innovation may not simply be digitizing healthcare, but ensuring that digital healthcare can understand, communicate with, and ultimately serve every patient in the language they trust most.

The proposed transaction involves the sale of around a 25% stake in the diagnostics company.

Several global private equity firms, including Warburg Pincus, TA Associates, Bain Capital, and CVC Capital, are reportedly in preliminary discussions to acquire a minority stake in Kochi-based Agappe Diagnostics.

The proposed transaction involves the sale of around a 25% stake in the diagnostics company.

If completed, the deal could value Agappe Diagnostics at approximately INR 3,000-3,200 crore, with the stake sale estimated at INR 700-750 crore. Mauritius-based Sycamore Holdings, through its investment manager Konark Capital, is also reported to be participating in the process.

Founded in 1994, Agappe develops and makes diagnostic reagents and equipment for the global IVD market, with a strong presence in clinical chemistry. The company supplies clinical chemistry, haematology, and immunochemistry products to more than 70,000 laboratories across more than 90 countries.

Currently, Mauritius-based Sycamore Holdings, through its investment manager Konark Capital Partners, holds around 20% in Agappe while the remainder is held by the promoter.

Konark had acquired its stake in 2015 for about INR 50 crore.

In addition, Agappe also operates a wholly owned subsidiary, Agappe Diagnostics Switzerland GmbH, for the international markets. It is also the exclusive Indian distributor for global medical technology companies including Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Japan), Mindray (China), and i-SENS (South Korea).

The diagnostic firm reported FY25 revenue of $61 million, EBITDA of $8.7 million, and profit after tax of $3.7 million, according to the latest available data from Tracxn.

Further, the company is expected to clock INR 650 crore in revenue and INR 100-120 crore in EBITDA in FY27.

As per reports, the discussions are at an early stage, and no definitive agreement has been announced. The transaction terms, valuation, and participating investors may change as negotiations progress.

In a separate development, the US-based private equity firm Warburg Pincus is in advanced talks to acquire a key business unit of Maneesh Pharmaceuticals in a transaction valued at INR 1,600 crore to INR 1,800 crore, reflecting the firm's continued interest in India's healthcare sector.

The programme will be jointly funded by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), which will contribute INR 1,000 crore, and the UK-based Wellcome Trust, which will provide INR 500 crore.

The Government of India has launched Phase III of the Biomedical Research Career Programme (BRCP), an INR 1,500 crore initiative aimed at strengthening the country's biomedical research ecosystem and supporting healthcare innovation.

The programme will be jointly funded by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), which will contribute INR 1,000 crore, and the UK-based Wellcome Trust, which will provide INR 500 crore.

Speaking at the launch, Union Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh, said, “Biotechnology is set to become the defining force behind India's next phase of economic growth, scientific advancement and global competitiveness, asserting that the country is no longer a participant but an emerging leader in the biotechnology revolution.”

The programme seeks to nurture a globally competitive biomedical research workforce comprising basic scientists, clinician-researchers, public health experts, science communicators and research managers while creating greater opportunities for interdisciplinary and collaborative research.

Highlighting the importance of sustained partnerships, Dr. Singh said the collaboration between the Government of India and the Wellcome Trust demonstrates how long-term international cooperation can accelerate scientific discovery, build research capacity, and address national and global health challenges. He also called for greater participation from philanthropic organisations and industry to help translate research into technologies and healthcare innovations.

The Minister said the Government has consistently created an enabling policy environment for frontier scientific research.

Referring to recent reforms, he said India has expanded opportunities for private participation in strategic research areas, including nuclear medicine, which will significantly strengthen future healthcare innovation.

He emphasised that closer integration of research institutions, industry and startups from the earliest stages of scientific development would accelerate the translation of laboratory discoveries into products and technologies benefiting society.

Outlining the next phase of the initiative, the Union Minister stated that the Phase-III will expand support for outstanding researchers , promote collaborative and translational research, strengthen India's biomedical innovation ecosystem and accelerate the development of technologies, diagnostics and healthcare solutions that address national priorities while enhancing India's global scientific leadership.

Furthermore, he noted that India's bioeconomy has expanded from approximately $ 10 billion in 2014 to over $ 195 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $ 300 billion by 2030.

Just enter any hospital in India, and you will see the same scenario where patients are seen carrying their plastic folders containing X-ray scans, laboratory test reports and prescriptions from three separate hospitals, none of which can "communicate" with each other. The moment they change their physician; the process begins all over again. It is exactly this problem that FHIR has been designed for, and in India, it has become the core of one of the most ambitious digital healthcare initiatives in the world.

What Exactly is FHIR?

FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources, pronounced as "fire") is a data standard developed by HL7 International, which provides healthcare systems with a way to communicate in a standard language. Rather than having each hospital, each laboratory, and each insurance company develop its own proprietary format, FHIR segments health information into "resources" that have standardized structure, such as Patient, Observation, Medication Request, Diagnostic Report, etc. The resources move via modern APIs based on web technology, namely JSON and XML.

The main difference between FHIR and previous standards used in health IT solutions is that FHIR does not try to become a single monolithic solution; it is modular. For instance, the laboratory sends a diagnostic report only; the pharmacy sends a record about medications; while the EHR at the hospital assembles the whole picture of the patient’s condition.

Why India Needed This

In India, the problem with healthcare data is not about a lack but rather fragmentation. A person’s MRI can be on a CD in one city; his/her diabetes information can be available in some other local software of the clinics in another city, while their insurance information is in yet another different system altogether.

Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), created by India's National Health Authority, was supposed to solve just this problem through the use of FHIR (FHIR R4 to be specific, using the FHIR Implementation Guide for ABDM). It is often compared to the UPI revolution of payments, where the idea was to create a single digital platform where various previously isolated players, such as hospitals, laboratories, pharmacies, and insurance companies, could communicate with each other through a standardised format.

How the Architecture Actually Works

The ABDM ecosystem is built using the following foundational components:

• ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account): This is the unique identity of the person in the form of a digital ID, which acts much like the Aadhaar number in the case of health care.

• Health Information Provider (HIP): These include entities that generate health information - hospitals, laboratories, clinics.

• Health Information User (HIU): This includes entities that use such health information after receiving the patient's explicit consent – another hospital, insurance company, or specialist.

• Consent Manager (HIE-CM): This acts as the consent layer that makes sure no information moves without getting the explicit consent of the patient, for the specified period of time and the purpose.

• Health Facility Registry (HFR) and Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR): These are national registries of the facilities and professionals participating in the ecosystem.

When the patient visits the new doctor and gives consent to share his history, then the request goes through the consent manager; the HIP prepares the health records in the form of bundles of FHIR and sends them to HIU for further analysis - not the scanned copy that needs to be manually entered in the new system.

The Real-World Payoff

The advantages manifest themselves rather tangibly:

1) Continuity of care – a cardiologist in Bengaluru can access a patient’s previous ECG and medication information via a clinic in Patna instead of starting from scratch.

2) Avoidance of duplicate tests – when past lab reports are available to the doctor, there is no need for ordering them twice, saving time and money.

3) Faster claims processing – the National Health Claims Exchange (NHCX) takes advantage of the same FHIR infrastructure to streamline claim and evidence transfer between hospitals and insurers.

4) Ownership by patients – thanks to the use of a consent-based approach and identification via ABHA, patients rather than hospitals get control over record access.

5) International compatibility – by using an existing standard instead of developing a proprietary one, India's digital health system becomes interoperable with EHRs worldwide

The Roadblocks That Remain

All of the above comes at a cost. Hospital IT infrastructure that predates FHIR, particularly in small-town settings, requires effort and money for a proper implementation. Digital literacy remains inconsistent; many patients fail to understand how "consent giving" through applications works. There is currently no specific data protection legislation regarding personal health information in India on par with the GDPR, and therefore, certain grey areas remain in relation to potential misuse and liability within the ABDM consent framework. The process of integration is a multistep certification procedure (the M1-M3 milestones in ABDM) and can be very costly for small clinics and startups without integration services.

Where This is Headed

Adoption is picking up pace. Several crores of ABHA IDs have been generated, and every quarter sees an increase in hospitals, diagnostics chains, and insurance companies joining the HIP/HIU platform. With FHIR-based exchange improving, the far greater advantage will be of having a longitudinal health record of every Indian individual across various doctors, cities, and insurance agencies using a global standard.

As FHIR-enabled interoperability becomes the standard practice at hospitals, laboratories, and insurance companies in India, the more important issue is one of trust – will patients be sufficiently comfortable in their consent structure to allow their data to flow, or will the issue of data protection prove to be the most significant impediment to India’s digital health ambitions?

The hospital houses outpatient services, medicine and surgery departments, operation theatres, gynaecology wards, paediatric services, a dialysis unit, a pathology laboratory, and a modern nursing call system.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has inaugurated a newly constructed 300-bed district hospital in Indore, built for INR 83.13 Cr, reinforcing the state's efforts to expand modern public healthcare infrastructure.

The facility is expected to improve access to specialised treatment and diagnostic services for patients from Indore and neighbouring districts.

Addressing the inaugural programme, the Chief Minister said the newly constructed hospital would serve not only the residents of Indore but also people from surrounding districts by offering quality healthcare services.

CM Yadav said that the newly constructed district hospital is another significant addition to Indore's healthcare infrastructure. The state government is continuously expanding public amenities while ensuring quality in construction works. He expressed confidence that this hospital will provide better healthcare services to citizens.

Developed by the Madhya Pradesh Housing and Infrastructure Development Board, the G+4 hospital has been constructed on nearly 3.40 acres along Dhar Road, covering approximately two lakh square feet of built-up area.

The hospital houses outpatient services, medicine and surgery departments, operation theatres, gynaecology wards, paediatric services, a dialysis unit, a pathology laboratory, and a modern nursing call system.

The facility also includes digital diagnostic infrastructure with digital X-ray, CT scan, MRI and ultrasonography services.

According to the state government, gynaecology, MRI, CT scan, and X-ray services have already become operational, enabling patients to access advanced imaging and diagnostic support within the hospital.

The hospital is also preparing to introduce an electronic token management system to improve patient flow at the sample collection area.

Swaroop Rani Nehru (SRN) Hospital in Prayagraj has upgraded its central pathology laboratory with a digital e-lab system, enabling patients to receive pathology reports on their mobile phones.

The initiative also introduces electronic report delivery to hospital wards, mandatory digital registration details, and an upcoming e-token system, streamlining diagnostic services and reducing delays in patient care and moving towards paperless diagnostic reporting.

The central pathology laboratory serves both SRN Hospital and the Children's Hospital, handling nearly 1,400 to 1,600 diagnostic investigations every day.

Under the revised workflow, patients registering for any pathology investigation are now required to provide their mobile number.

The hospital has also introduced a new laboratory requisition format that requires doctors to include the patient's mobile number, Unique Health Identification (UHID), and details of the prescribed investigations before laboratory samples are accepted.

Once fully operational, the digital e-lab system will automatically send pathology reports to patients through their registered mobile numbers after tests are completed.

For admitted patients, reports will also be transmitted electronically to the respective hospital wards, allowing treating doctors to review results without waiting for printed copies.

Hospital authorities expect the system to support quicker clinical decisions and help initiate treatment sooner where required.

The pathology department has already issued implementation instructions to laboratory in-charges to facilitate the transition to the upgraded digital e-lab system across the central laboratory.

The hospital is also preparing to introduce an electronic token management system to improve patient flow at the sample collection area.

Three LED display screens have already been installed at collection counters and will display token numbers, confirmation of sample submission, and report availability in real time.

The government has also laid the foundation stone for a new sub-divisional hospital in Udaipur, which is expected to strengthen access to secondary healthcare by offering emergency care and diagnostic facilities.

Tripura has rolled out development projects worth INR 105.73 crore, strengthening healthcare infrastructure with a new sub-divisional hospital, a functional 50-bed civil hospital, and a technology-driven health system centred on Aadhaar-linked digital health records.

A significant component of the package is the newly operational 50-bed civil hospital, which has started providing services with all major departments in place.

The government has also laid the foundation stone for a new sub-divisional hospital in Udaipur. Once completed, the facility is expected to strengthen access to secondary healthcare by offering emergency care, maternity services and diagnostic facilities.

Chief Minister Manik Saha said Tripura is moving toward a more technology-driven health system.

He explained that a digital health card linked to Aadhaar would allow doctors to access a patient’s medical history with a single click, reducing paperwork in government hospitals.

The Chief Minister also highlighted several ongoing public health programmes, including the Mukhyamantri Niramaya Arogya Abhiyan, the Lab Network and the Stop Diarrhoea programme. He said the government is prioritising early detection of non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), cancer, Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and alcoholic fatty liver disease.

The Chief Minister also pointed to the recent 342 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) representing proposed investments exceeding INR 1.21 lakh crore across sectors, including healthcare and technology.

The latest announcement forms part of Tripura's broader effort to strengthen public services across Gomati district through 11 development projects covering healthcare, education, sports and government administration.

In this role, Syed aims to strengthen technology governance, modernise enterprise architecture, enable innovation, and create a strong digital foundation that supports sustainable growth

Desun Hospitals has appointed Syed Kadam Murshed as its Chief Information Officer (CIO), marking a new leadership addition as the hospital focuses on advancing its digital transformation journey.

Announcing the development on LinkedIn, Murshed said, "I am delighted to share that I have joined Desun Hospitals as Chief Information Officer (CIO)."

In this role, the Desun CIO aims to strengthen technology governance, modernise enterprise architecture, enable innovation, and create a strong digital foundation that supports sustainable growth

"This new chapter presents an exciting opportunity to contribute to the digital transformation of healthcare by aligning technology with clinical excellence and business strategy," he added.

Prior to joining Desun Hospitals, Murshed served as Head of Information Technology Operations and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Metropolis Healthcare.

Over the course of his career, he has also held leadership positions at Tata Cancer Care Foundation, DXC Technology, Future Oncology Hospital, Medica Hospitals, Videocon Industries, and Zee Telefilms.

Highlighting his priorities, Murshed said, "Healthcare is evolving rapidly through AI, data-driven decision-making, interoperability, cybersecurity, and patient-centric digital experiences. I look forward to working with the leadership team, clinicians, and colleagues to build a resilient, secure, and future-ready technology ecosystem that enhances patient care and operational excellence."

Murshed also expressed gratitude to the hospital's leadership and those who have supported him throughout his career. "I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the leadership at DESUN Hospital for their trust and confidence. I am equally thankful to my mentors, colleagues, friends, and family, whose guidance and support have been invaluable throughout my career. Looking forward to learning, collaborating, and creating meaningful impact."

Desun Hospitals is affiliated with PN Memorial Neurocentre & Research Institute Ltd. The hospital group operates in Kolkata and Siliguri, West Bengal, and is accredited by both Joint Commission International (JCI) and the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH).

Artificial Intelligence has emerged as a promising technology to transform industries. Celebrated on 16th July, AI Appreciation Day reflects the growing impact of AI across all industries. In India, AI has become a strategic priority and not just a point of discussion. Aligned with the India AI Impact Summit 2026 theme, "Sarvajan Hitaya, Sarvajan Sukhaya", India's AI journey is increasingly focused on inclusive and human-centered progress.

Healthcare has emerged as one of the promising sectors for AI deployments in India. Faced with a rising disease burden, an unequal distribution of healthcare professionals, and an increasing demand for quality care, India is leveraging AI to bridge critical gaps in access, affordability, and efficiency.

On AI Appreciation Day, let us look into some of the key AI breakthroughs driving India's healthcare transformation.

Key Breakthroughs

From disease detection to personalized care management, AI-based health technologies are not only improving efficiency but also resolving long-standing healthcare issues. Drug Development has been traditionally a lengthy process. AI-powered drug discovery can significantly reduce research timelines and costs of R&D by analysing large biological datasets, identifying therapeutic targets, and repurposing existing drugs.

Medical imaging remains one of the most mature and successful applications of AI in healthcare. With India’s diagnostic bottleneck and the ratio of radiologists to patients in many states, AI-powered diagnostic systems are beginning to address this gap by identifying abnormalities in X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, and retinal images with remarkable speed and accuracy.

Individualised treatment plans are gradually replacing a one-size-fits-all strategy in healthcare. By leveraging AI to evaluate genetic data, clinical histories, etc, precision medicine and genome sequencing are enabling more targeted therapies for specific patients, including those with serious diseases such as cancer.

Through predictive analytics, AI is also changing healthcare from reactive treatment to proactive prevention, while AI-powered wearable technology and linked devices allow for continuous care through remote patient monitoring. Moreover, Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) are assisting physicians in making quicker and better choices, while Generative AI is optimising clinical operations in hospitals by automating administrative and paperwork activities. Beyond patient care, AI is streamlining hospital operations through predictive maintenance, workforce planning, and intelligent resource management, setting the stage for more intelligent and effective healthcare delivery.

AI in Action

AI is no longer a futuristic concept in India. Over the past few years, the country has rapidly moved beyond pilot projects to real-world healthcare deployments supported by both government and private healthcare initiatives.

As per the latest report, India has emerged as one of the Asia-Pacific region's most AI-ready healthcare markets. Nearly 78% of Indian consumers reported using GenAI to understand diagnoses and treatment options better, while 73% said they use the technology to prepare for medical appointments.

The most visible impact of AI is being seen in diagnosis and medical imaging.

States like Telangana are expanding AI-powered diagnostic systems across district hospitals, while Andhra Pradesh is integrating AI-driven healthcare into its Sanjeevani mobile healthcare network, extending advanced diagnostic capabilities to thousands of patients.

At the research level, institutions like IIIT-Delhi are developing AI-enabled blood tests and an AI-powered "digital twin" platform to assist oncologists in selecting personalized treatment options.

Meanwhile, startups such as Qure.ai & Nirmai are improving early detection of tuberculosis and breast cancer, particularly in rural and underserved regions where access to radiologists is limited.

Healthcare is now moving beyond hospitals. With initiatives like iLive Connect, AI is bringing continuous clinical monitoring and early-intervention care directly into patients’ homes.

In addition, states like Assam have taken a step toward AI-enabled public healthcare with the installation of a contactless, AI-based remote patient monitoring system at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital.

Meanwhile, Apollo Speciality Hospitals in Madurai has implemented AI-powered continuous patient monitoring across all its inpatient beds, marking a significant expansion of artificial intelligence in hospital care.

Within hospitals, AI is increasingly becoming a clinical co-pilot. AIIMS Bhopal’s CDSS is bringing evidence-based recommendations to clinicians.

The shift toward personalized and preventive healthcare is accelerating, with initiatives such as the NIMS Hyderabad–IISc Bengaluru collaboration on AI-driven disease prediction and treatment tools, alongside IIT Patna's AI-powered wearable for early dementia detection, paving the way for earlier interventions and more individualized care.

Agentic AI is emerging as another frontier of Healthcare with hospitals like

ClearMedi Healthcare has deployed WellnessGPT, developed in collaboration with HeyDoc AI, to automate appointment scheduling, patient routing, and care coordination across its hospitals.

Similarly, Bengaluru-based Superhealth has developed SuperOS, a proprietary agentic AI software designed for managing consultations, theatre scheduling, diagnostics workflows, and multilingual discharge reports.

Meanwhile, Christian Medical College (CMC) Vellore and the International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad (IIIT-H) have developed BandhuCare, a multilingual AI companion designed to improve communication between cancer patients and clinicians.

At the same time, healthcare delivery models such as Health ATMs by Clinics on Clouds are bringing basic screening and healthcare services closer to underserved communities.

AI is also reducing administrative burden across healthcare settings, such as Eka Care's AI-powered medical scribe are simplifying healthcare procedures to expand secure and accessible clinical documentation across India.

Beyond care delivery, researchers at IIIT-Delhi are leveraging AI to accelerate drug discovery and identify promising therapeutic candidates more efficiently.

Government Initiatives Driving India's AI Healthcare Ecosystem

Rapid innovation often outpaces regulation. As AI systems become more deeply integrated into healthcare delivery, questions around accountability, liability, and governance become increasingly important.

Recognizing the need for responsible implementation, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare introduced the Strategy for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare for India (SAHI) alongside the Benchmarking Open Data Platform for Health AI (BODH) during the India AI Impact Summit 2026. These initiatives emphasize transparency, accountability, interoperability, and ethical deployment of AI in healthcare.

The initiatives build on the vision of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (2020) to create an interoperable, consent-based and scalable digital health infrastructure. In many ways, ABDM represents India's most important long-term AI enabler, creating the digital public infrastructure upon which future healthcare innovations will be built.

Bridging the Gaps

While much of the conversation focuses on breakthrough technologies and productivity gains, several foundational gaps around AI literacy, workforce readiness, and data privacy remain that could influence the pace and effectiveness of implementation. Hospitals need to spend more on AI training and digital skills, without which the gap between AI capability and real-world utilization could continue to widen. Healthcare AI depends on data. However, this reliance on data also raises critical questions around privacy, security, and consent, and whether it is used responsibly, making strong governance and transparent data practices essential.

Above all, AI should complement human healthcare, not replace it. While AI can help with decision-making and automate repetitive chores, patient connections, clinical judgement, and empathy will always be at the core of high-quality care. The most successful healthcare organizations will be those that combine technological innovation with human-centered care.

Reflecting the significance of this day, Vamsi Karatam, Founder & CEO of Deepfacts, said, “AI Appreciation Day is a moment to recognise how artificial intelligence is helping healthcare move from information overload to meaningful clinical understanding. The future of healthcare will be shaped by responsible innovation where technology and clinical knowledge work together to improve accuracy, efficiency, and patient outcomes. AI’s greatest achievement will be measured by how effectively it enhances human expertise and helps make preventive or proactive healthcare more accessible.”

Looking Ahead

AI Appreciation Day offers an opportunity to consider how far AI has progressed from rule-based systems to intelligent platforms that accelerate research, support clinicians, and personalize care. The AI technology breakthroughs shaping healthcare today are laying the foundation for a more proactive, connected, and patient-centric health ecosystem.

As these technologies mature, the focus is no longer on whether they will transform healthcare, but on how responsibly and effectively they can be scaled to improve lives. AI Appreciation Day is, therefore, not only a celebration of what AI can achieve but also a reminder of the responsibilities that accompany its adoption.

Solanki will lead the hospital network's enterprise technology strategy and digital transformation roadmap.

Livasa Hospitals has appointed Bhoopendra Solanki as its Chief Information Officer (CIO), reinforcing its focus on digital transformation as the healthcare network continues to expand across North India.

The appointment comes as Livasa Hospitals strengthens its digital capabilities alongside its regional expansion. The hospital network said it is investing in technology across diagnostics, clinical decision-making, patient engagement, cybersecurity and hospital operations to build an integrated and patient-centric healthcare ecosystem.

Solanki, an alumnus of IIM Calcutta, brings more than 25 years of experience in healthcare information technology and digital transformation. He has held senior technology leadership positions at Sakra World Hospital, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Medanta – The Medicity and Fortis Healthcare Ltd.

His experience includes leading enterprise-wide digital transformation initiatives across multi-hospital networks and greenfield healthcare projects. His areas of expertise include Hospital Information Systems (HIS), PACS, ERP, SAP S/4HANA, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Internet of Things (IoT), data analytics and digital patient engagement platforms.

He has also led the implementation of Electronic Medical Records (EMR/EHR), patient and doctor mobile applications, patient portals, telemedicine and remote care solutions. According to the company, these initiatives have supported improvements in operational efficiency, clinical workflows and patient experience. Solanki is also an author and contributes to discussions on healthcare technology and digital innovation.

Commenting on the appointment, Anurag Yadav, Chief Executive Officer, Livasa Hospitals, said, "Healthcare is undergoing one of its biggest transformations, with technology becoming a critical enabler of better clinical outcomes, safer care and enhanced patient experience. As Livasa Hospitals continues its growth journey, building a robust digital ecosystem is a strategic priority for us. Bhoopendra's rich experience in leading technology transformation across some of India's premier healthcare institutions will help us accelerate this journey and create an integrated, secure and future-ready healthcare network."

As Chief Information Officer, Solanki will lead the hospital network's enterprise technology strategy and digital transformation roadmap. His responsibilities include overseeing the development of an integrated technology ecosystem, with a focus on IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, data governance, AI-led innovation, automation and digital platforms aimed at improving operational efficiency, clinical outcomes and patient engagement.

Livasa Hospitals said the appointment reflects its continued investment in leadership, innovation and technology as it expands its regional footprint.

Based in North India, Livasa Hospitals is backed by IndiaRF and has a network of more than 950 beds, supported by over 250 doctors and 40-plus super-specialities across Mohali, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr and Khanna, with further expansion underway. The healthcare network provides tertiary and quaternary care services across specialities, including cardiac sciences, neurosciences, oncology, orthopaedics, renal sciences, critical care, gastro sciences, mother and child care, and emergency medicine.

The adoption of AI in the Indian healthcare sector is now moving beyond simple chatbot technology and predictive dashboards. The use of agentic AI, which is capable of reasoning, planning, and completing tasks without much human intervention, is shifting from being discussed in conferences and workshops to being implemented in hospitals' wards. Whether in Bengaluru or the National Capital Region, hospitals and companies in the health tech sector are starting to deploy AI applications that will not only aid doctors but also coordinate the patient-care process.

Understanding Agentic AI in Healthcare

Until recently, most AI applications used in Indian healthcare have served as assistive tools. They help doctors detect abnormalities in medical images, assess the risk of patient readmission, answer routine patient queries, or generate clinical insights. While these systems improve efficiency, they still rely on healthcare professionals to interpret the results and decide on the next course of action.

Agentic AI represents the next stage in this evolution. Instead of simply providing recommendations, it can reason, plan, and carry out a sequence of tasks with minimal human intervention. For example, after identifying a patient's condition, an AI agent can automatically schedule the required diagnostic tests, update the patient's electronic health record, notify the relevant specialist, and coordinate follow-up appointments. By handling these routine but time-consuming administrative tasks, Agentic AI allows healthcare professionals to spend more time on clinical decision-making and patient care, making healthcare delivery faster, more coordinated, and more efficient.

Real-World Examples from Indian Hospitals

There are several instances in India where such a concept can be observed. ClearMedi Healthcare became one of the first hospital networks in India to integrate an agentic AI system through WellnessGPT, developed in collaboration with HeyDoc AI, to automate appointment scheduling, patient routing, and care coordination across its hospitals.

Another good example can be of Superhealth, a hospital chain based out of Bengaluru, which has developed SuperOS - a proprietary agentic AI software that runs inside its flagship hospital. The software has been designed to handle outpatient consultation, operate theatre scheduling, support in radiology and pathology analysis, as well as generate discharge reports in 15 Indian languages.

Languages appear to emerge as significant obstacles for designing AI-powered agentic systems for India. An India-based startup named Iksha Labs launched voice agents that can communicate with patients using Hindi in several hospitals located in the National Capital Region, Jammu & Kashmir, and Punjab with instant responses, as people tend to hang up in case there is any delay in communication, and the organisation said that it would soon launch services in other languages like Kannada, Marathi, and Telugu.

Government Support Through India's SAHI Framework

This is gaining momentum through official policy measures. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare unveiled the Strategy for AI in Healthcare for India (SAHI) at the India AI Impact Summit 2026. SAHI is built on five pillars, including governance and evidence-based validation, safe digital infrastructure, preparedness of the workforce, ethics review and oversight, and equity-oriented implementation. In addition to this, the government has also identified AIIMS Delhi, PGIMER Chandigarh, and AIIMS Rishikesh as Centres of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare for testing the AI technologies before use on patients. This framework follows on from the data-sharing architecture set out by the ABDM.

What are the present Challenges?

However, Agentic AI in Indian healthcare is still in its early stages of adoption. While a few pioneers have demonstrated how AI can improve patient coordination, hospital operations, and clinical workflows, these solutions are largely limited to individual hospital networks. Expanding them across India's diverse public and private healthcare ecosystem remains a significant challenge.

Another major hurdle includes integrating agentic AI with the legacy Hospital Information Systems (HIS) and Electronic Health Records (EHRs) used by many healthcare providers. Ensuring data privacy, cybersecurity, and continuous clinical oversight is equally important, as AI systems increasingly handle sensitive patient information and support medical decision-making.

Conclusion

AI applications are no longer a futuristic concept for healthcare in India. They are actually being implemented in some places now, from hospital operating systems to Hindi-language voice assistants, and government frameworks such as SAHI are beginning to establish norms for how these are scaled. The coming years could determine whether these stay as pilot projects or become the norm in Indian hospitals.

So, the question arises: will Agentic AI remain limited to pilot projects, or will it become the foundation of India's next-generation healthcare system?

The sale covers as much as 5.64% of Biocon's outstanding shares, making it a sizeable market transaction.

US-based global pharma company Mylan, a subsidiary of global healthcare company Viatris, has launched a secondary share sale of up to 92 million shares in India’s Biocon, valued at as much as INR 34.81 Bn ($363 million).

The transaction represents up to 5.64% of Biocon's outstanding equity and will not generate any proceeds for Biocon.

The offering has been launched at a floor price of INR 378.50 per share, reflecting a 7.9% discount to Biocon's previous closing price of INR 410.95.

The proposed transaction comes years after Viatris inherited Mylan's strategic relationship with Biocon through the merger of Mylan and Upjohn in 2020.

Mylan and Biocon have collaborated extensively in biosimilars, including the commercialization of insulin and monoclonal antibody products across global markets.

Over time, Viatris has gradually streamlined parts of its portfolio and investments as part of its broader capital allocation strategy.

As this is a secondary share sale, the proceeds will go entirely to the selling shareholder, Mylan, rather than to Biocon.

The transaction therefore does not involve the issuance of new equity, nor does it alter Biocon's capital structure or provide fresh funding for the company. Instead, it represents a change in ownership of existing shares held by an institutional investor.

The sale covers as much as 5.64% of Biocon's outstanding shares, making it a sizeable market transaction.

Citigroup Global Markets India and Jefferies India have been appointed as the joint bookrunners and brokers managing the transaction.

Founded by Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Biocon has evolved into one of India's leading biopharmaceutical companies with businesses spanning biosimilars, generic formulations, research services and novel biologics.

In recent years, the company has strengthened its global footprint through biosimilar launches in key regulated markets while continuing to expand manufacturing and research capabilities.

The Ministry has invited stakeholder feedback before finalising the policy.

The Union government has unveiled the Draft National Health Research Policy 2026, proposing a comprehensive overhaul of India's health research ecosystem through a unified national framework that prioritises disease burden, digital health, artificial intelligence, indigenous innovation, and stronger coordination between research institutions, governments, and industry.

The draft, prepared by the Department of Health Research under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, is the first policy to bring together biomedical sciences, clinical medicine, public health, epidemiology, health systems, behavioural sciences, digital health, artificial intelligence, and other emerging fields under a single national strategy.

The Ministry has invited stakeholder feedback before finalising the policy.

The policy proposes the creation of the National Health Research Agenda (NHRA), which will periodically identify priority research areas based on disease burden, scientific opportunity, equity, strategic national interests, and pandemic preparedness.

The agenda will also encourage consultation with States, Union Territories, researchers, healthcare professionals, patients, and community representatives.

The draft policy has also proposed a three-tier governance model comprising a National Health Research Stewardship Committee for strategic oversight, the Department of Health Research as the coordinating authority, and ICMR as the scientific and technical lead.

States will be encouraged to integrate research more closely with healthcare delivery and existing public health programmes, while those with established research councils may continue using their current institutional structures.

Research priorities will extend beyond long-standing public health challenges such as tuberculosis, antimicrobial resistance, maternal and child health, cancer, mental health, and non-communicable diseases.

The policy has also identified digital health, artificial intelligence, health data science, cell and gene therapy, obesity, and climate change-related health research as emerging priority areas.

The National Health Research Agenda will be reviewed at least once every five years to reflect epidemiological changes, technological advances, and national requirements.

The policy further proposes reducing administrative, financial, and regulatory barriers that delay research, expanding access to publicly funded research infrastructure, strengthening the scientific workforce, promoting collaborations between academia, industry, government, and non-profit organisations, and reinforcing ethics, data governance, cybersecurity, and research integrity.

Moreover, rather than relying primarily on publications, citations, and patents, research performance would also be assessed based on its contribution to health policies, clinical practice, indigenous technologies, health programmes, institutional capacity, equity, and broader societal impact.

The policy also outlines long-term national goals for research investment, medical science PhDs, scientific publications, patents, and indigenous health technologies in line with the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.

The transition also marks the end of Dr Sanjay Singh's nearly two decades of leadership at Gennova.

Emcure Pharmaceuticals, a multinational pharmaceutical and biopharma company headquartered in Pune, has acquired the remaining 12.05% stake in Gennova Biopharmaceuticals, a Maharashtra-based pharma company, making it a wholly owned subsidiary and sharpening its focus on biologics and biosimilars.

Samit Mehta has taken charge of Gennova as it enters its next phase of growth under the One Emcure framework.

The latest restructuring follows Emcure's long-term strategy to consolidate its biologics operations under a single ownership structure.

Satish Mehta, Managing Director & CEO, Emcure Pharmaceuticals, said, “With this stake acquisition, we simplify Gennova’s ownership, sharpen its strategic focus, and position it under Samit Mehta’s leadership for its next phase of growth in biologics and biosimilars.”

Gennova has been a key part of Emcure's biopharmaceutical portfolio for over two decades, building capabilities in recombinant biologics, biosimilars and complex biologic manufacturing.

Incorporated in 2001 and renamed Gennova Biopharmaceuticals in 2006, the company has developed products across oncology, nephrology, critical care and supportive therapies while establishing mammalian and microbial biomanufacturing platforms.

The transaction values the stake at approximately INR 231.8 Cr and simplifies the ownership structure of the biologics business.

Going forward, Gennova will concentrate on expanding its biologics franchise, including Elaxim (TENECTASE), Vintor, Xgrast (PEGEX) and Hamsyl, while advancing its biosimilars pipeline and adjacent therapeutic platforms.

The company said it will continue to leverage its established manufacturing capabilities to support future product development and commercial growth.

The transition also marks the end of Dr Sanjay Singh's nearly two decades of leadership at Gennova. He has established a separate company, ImmunoScript Life Sciences, which will house the messenger RNA (mRNA) business following an earlier business transfer agreement.

Samit Mehta, Whole Time Director & CEO, Gennova Biopharmaceuticals, said, “As part of the One Emcure framework, Gennova will continue to anchor the Group’s biologics and biosimilars capabilities. Our work will complement Emcure’s broader R&D and pipeline priorities, with a focus on execution, quality and disciplined development across our chosen therapy areas.”

Emcure Pharmaceuticals stated that the acquisition is not expected to have a material impact on its consolidated financial performance.

The company added that its planned capital expenditure, debt reduction roadmap and R&D investments will continue as previously outlined, while Gennova focuses on expanding its role within the group's biologics portfolio.

Building on previous AI applications developed for dermatology and outpatient triage, researchers are now creating AI models focused on leprosy and reproductive health.

Google has expanded its India AI healthcare initiatives by strengthening its collaboration with AIIMS to develop AI models for leprosy and reproductive health, while supporting India's digital public health infrastructure through open-source AI technologies.

The latest initiatives aim to improve disease detection, clinical decision-making and digital health innovation while making AI tools more accessible to India's healthcare ecosystem.

The announcements were made at a recent event, where Google unveiled a series of India-focused AI initiatives spanning healthcare, education, language accessibility and enterprise AI infrastructure.

While several announcements covered multiple sectors, healthcare remained a key area of expansion as India continues to accelerate AI adoption across its public health ecosystem.

As part of its latest healthcare push, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has expanded its use of Google's open-source multimodal MedGemma models to address India-specific health challenges.

Building on previous AI applications developed for dermatology and outpatient triage, researchers are now creating AI models focused on leprosy and sexual and reproductive health.

The new models are designed to assist healthcare professionals and patients in identifying and managing medical conditions using both medical images and text-based inputs.

AIIMS also plans to make these localized clinical AI models available to India's developer community, enabling researchers and health technology innovators to build new digital health solutions tailored to local needs.

Google also highlighted the growing role of its open-source AI technologies in India's Digital Public Infrastructure for healthcare.

According to Google, the National Health Authority has used Gemma 4 and Google's Medical Data Toolkit in developing Aarogya Setu 2.0, the country's new public health record application.

"The ultimate metric of AI progress isn’t just model parameters, but also in the positive transformation it enables. India is championing this as it adopts AI across every tier of the economy - from local merchants to national health initiatives," said Dr. Manish Gupta, Senior Director for India and APAC at Google DeepMind.

"In bringing our frontier AI, on-premise capabilities, and commitment to safety, we aim to accelerate this momentum and look forward to the country’s AI learners, educators, builders, and innovators leading India’s AI ambition from the front," he added.

Alongside its healthcare announcements, Google introduced wider India AI initiatives, including AI education programmes, expanded Indic language support through Gemini Live, and infrastructure that enables regulated sectors such as healthcare to deploy Gemini AI models within Indian data centres while meeting data residency requirements.

With PRIP support, Premas Biotech will now advance the technology beyond the proof-of-concept stage, generating evidence needed for future clinical validation and broader adoption.

Gurugram-based biotech company Premas Biotech has received Government of India funding under the PRIP scheme to accelerate the development of AXTEX-4D, an AI-driven 3D breast cancer organoid platform designed to help identify the most effective chemotherapy for individual patients before treatment begins using patient-derived tumour models.

Dr Nupur Mehrotra Arora, Co-Founder and Director, Operations at Premas Biotech, said, “Through this project, we aim to move closer to a future where chemotherapy selection for breast cancer can be guided by patient-specific tumour response rather than empirical decision-making alone. Our broader vision is to make functional precision oncology more accessible, affordable and relevant for Indian patients.”

The AXTEX-4D platform combines a three-dimensional tissue culture system with AI-enabled analysis to generate tumour organoids from biopsy-derived cancer cells.

The cells are cultured on a non-woven polymer fibre matrix, allowing them to develop into tissueoids that closely replicate the architecture and biological characteristics of human tumours.

These models preserve important features such as cell-to-cell interactions, oxygen gradients and drug penetration barriers, making them more representative of real tumours than conventional two-dimensional laboratory cultures.

By evaluating the response of these patient-derived organoids to different chemotherapy regimens, researchers aim to identify treatments that are more likely to benefit individual patients while reducing unnecessary exposure to ineffective drugs and associated toxicities.

The approach could also help clinicians make faster, more evidence-based treatment decisions and potentially lower the cost of trial-and-error chemotherapy.

With PRIP support, Premas Biotech will now advance the technology beyond the proof-of-concept stage by developing patient-derived organoids, carrying out molecular and functional characterisation, assessing chemotherapy responses and generating evidence needed for future clinical validation and broader adoption.

BandhuCare currently supports eight Indian languages through both text and voice interactions, including an AI-powered consent agent that explains medical consent forms in simple language.

Christian Medical College (CMC) Vellore and the International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad (IIIT-H) have developed BandhuCare, a multilingual AI companion designed to improve communication between cancer patients and clinicians.

The platform has reached Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5 and will soon begin clinical pilot studies among head and neck cancer patients.

The multilingual AI companion enables patients to ask routine post-treatment questions in their preferred language, report symptoms through natural conversations, and help clinicians monitor their condition between follow-up visits.

BandhuCare has been designed to rely only on clinician-approved medical information rather than internet sources.

The platform uses Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) combined with an additional AI safety layer that validates every response against an approved medical knowledge base before it is shared with patients, reducing the possibility of AI hallucinations.

Unlike traditional symptom questionnaires, the platform allows patients to communicate through text or voice in a conversational format.

Patients can maintain daily health journals, describe symptoms as they occur, and record concerns between appointments.

The AI then converts these interactions into structured clinical summaries and standard Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs), enabling doctors to review a patient's progress before consultations.

Dr Narender Kumar Thota, consultant hemato-oncologist and stem cell/bone marrow transplant specialist at KIMS Hospitals, Secunderabad, said, "Doctors are trained to extract as much relevant history as possible, and in most cases they do. But patients can forget details, and even doctors can occasionally miss something. A structured AI questionnaire can improve the quality of information collected and help explore symptoms in greater depth."

He further noted that AI can make the process more dynamic by tailoring follow-up questions based on previous responses instead of relying on a fixed checklist, thereby saving time while improving documentation.

BandhuCare currently supports eight Indian languages through both text and voice interactions.

It also includes an AI-powered consent agent that explains medical consent forms in simple language and checks whether patients have understood the information before consent is obtained.

He added that the structured digital records generated through the platform could also contribute to research, public health planning and disease surveillance by creating standardised datasets.

The BandhuCare consortium includes CMC Vellore, IIIT Hyderabad, startup Revan AI, AIIMS Guwahati and patient advocacy platform Patients Engage.

The project recently received the IndiaAI-National Cancer Grid CATCH Grant for Cancer 2026.

Following clinical pilots, the team plans to expand the multilingual AI companion to support patients with other cancers as well as chronic conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and those requiring dialysis care.

The Chief Minister also inaugurated medical infrastructure and equipment worth INR 139.47 Cr, covering new patient wards, hospital buildings, and diagnostic facilities across the state.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay has launched Nalam TN, a statewide digital health platform that combines AI-powered WhatsApp outpatient registration, online appointment booking, and transparent hospital donations into a single system.

The initiative has also been accompanied by new healthcare infrastructure and the appointment of over 2,100 healthcare professionals.

Nalam TN enables patients to register for outpatient consultations by sending "Hi" to an AI-powered WhatsApp chatbot on 9619222999, allowing them to avoid physical registration queues at government hospitals.

The platform, available through www.nalam.tn.gov.in, is currently operating on a pilot basis across 22 districts, including Chennai and Chengalpattu.

Beyond appointment booking, Nalam TN also allows individuals, businesses, alumni, and corporate organisations to make transparent contributions to government hospitals.

Through the platform, donors can directly sponsor medical equipment or support infrastructure improvements at hospitals of their choice under the Tamil Nadu Health Foundation's Social Responsibility Fund initiative.

Alongside the digital platform launch, the Chief Minister inaugurated medical infrastructure and equipment worth INR 139.47 Cr, covering new patient wards, hospital buildings, and diagnostic facilities across the state.

He also handed over appointment orders to 2,144 newly recruited healthcare personnel, comprising 751 Assistant Medical Officers and 1,393 Health Inspectors (Grade II) selected through the Medical Services Recruitment Board.

Addressing the gathering, Health Minister K. G. Arunraj described the launch as an important milestone for Tamil Nadu's healthcare system and urged healthcare workers to place compassion at the centre of patient care.

Goyal said his team has identified a new biomarker called "entropy," which he claims correlates with metabolic rate and provides insights into stress, meditation, recovery, sleep, and exercise by directly measuring changes in the body's metabolic state.

Deepinder Goyal, co-founder of Zomato and former Chief Executive Officer of Eternal, has said that his wearable device, Temple, is expected to launch within six to twelve months.

The device, which is designed to measure the body's metabolic state in real time, will initially be introduced as a wellness product supported by peer-reviewed studies.

Speaking to Bloomberg, Goyal said, "Maybe 6 to 12 months." He also acknowledged that the project has faced delays, adding, "But I've been saying that for the last 18 months. So I don't know."

Temple has been positioned as a wearable for high-performing users such as athletes, executives and founders rather than a mass market product. Explaining the motivation behind the venture, Goyal said, "I'm not building Temple for everybody. Actually, I'm building it only for myself." He added, "Business is a side effect of what we're doing for ourselves."

The bean-shaped wearable is designed to be worn on the side of the forehead, from which it derives its name. It is expected to retail at around $1,000. Goyal has previously been seen wearing the device, while badminton player PV Sindhu also wore it during the 2026 Uber Cup in April.

According to Goyal, Temple focuses on measuring metabolic rate directly rather than using heart rate as a proxy. "Heart rate was supposed to be the proxy for metabolic rate. We found the real thing," he said.

On the launch strategy, Goyal said, "We will launch it as a wellness device with peer-reviewed studies and everything."

He added that the device could later undergo medical regulatory approvals as additional features are introduced. "We have features coming up which will need it to become a medical device. So those features, whenever we have them, we will go through the regulatory approvals and then launch those features," he said.

Goyal also said his team has identified a new biomarker called "entropy," which he claims correlates with metabolic rate and provides insights into stress, meditation, recovery, sleep, and exercise by directly measuring changes in the body's metabolic state. However, the science behind the biomarker has not yet been validated by independent scientists.

Applications for early access to Temple opened in May this year. According to Goyal, more than one lakh people applied for the first 100 Temple devices.

Temple will be the first commercial product from Goyal's new venture since he stepped down as Chief Executive Officer of Eternal in February. He described it as one of his experiments with high-risk ideas outside the Eternal group.

The projects include the Advanced Mother and Child Centre, the Advanced Neurosciences Centre, and a new Critical Care Block. The facilities are expected to strengthen tertiary care services and expand access to specialised treatment.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate three key healthcare infrastructure projects at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) to the nation on July 17, according to PGIMER Director Dr Vivek Lal.

The projects include the Advanced Mother and Child Centre, the Advanced Neurosciences Centre, and a new Critical Care Block. The facilities are expected to strengthen tertiary care services and expand access to specialised treatment.

According to the institute, the inauguration is expected to enhance PGIMER's clinical and research capabilities, particularly in maternal, child, and neurological care, while improving patient access and service capacity. The facilities will also support the institute's role as a referral centre for northern India.

The Advanced Mother and Child Centre is expected to enhance care for high-risk pregnancies, newborns, and paediatric patients. The Advanced Neurosciences Centre will support complex neurological diagnosis and treatment, while the Critical Care Block is expected to increase capacity for patients requiring intensive monitoring and life-saving interventions.

Commenting on the significance of the projects, PGIMER Director Dr Vivek Lal said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate the facilities to the nation on July 17. He said the projects mark an important step in strengthening specialised public healthcare infrastructure.

The institute said the dedication of the new facilities aligns with broader efforts to strengthen public healthcare infrastructure through specialised centres of excellence.

By: Dr. Shravan Subramanyam, Managing Director, BPL Medical Technologies

For decades, progress in healthcare was largely measured through physical expansion. More hospitals, more beds, more equipment, and larger clinical teams were seen as indicators of a stronger healthcare system. While infrastructure remains essential, healthcare leaders today are confronting a different reality. Rising patient volumes, increasing chronic disease burdens, workforce shortages, and growing financial pressures have exposed the limitations of relying on expansion alone.

The challenge facing healthcare today is not simply one of capacity. It is one of delivery. Patients expect faster diagnoses, seamless experiences, personalized treatment, and greater access to care. Meeting these expectations requires healthcare systems to become smarter, more connected, and more efficient. This is where MedTech is beginning to play a transformative role. No longer confined to medical devices, MedTech is increasingly shaping how healthcare is delivered, how decisions are made, and how outcomes are achieved.

Why Healthcare Leaders Must Rethink Delivery Models

Healthcare today does not suffer from a shortage of medical knowledge. The challenge lies in how that knowledge moves through the system. Patients often encounter delays between diagnosis and treatment, information remains fragmented across departments, and clinicians frequently spend valuable time navigating administrative processes rather than focusing on patient care.

For years, the response to rising demand has been to expand infrastructure. While this approach has its place, it does little to address the inefficiencies that exist within the system itself. A larger hospital network can still struggle with disconnected workflows and inconsistent patient experiences.

Healthcare leaders are therefore beginning to shift their attention from capacity building to care delivery optimization. The focus is moving towards creating systems where information flows seamlessly, decisions are made faster, and care pathways are more coordinated. Technology is becoming central to this transition because it enables healthcare organizations to improve efficiency without compromising quality.

The Competitive Advantage Is Moving from Treatment to Early Intervention

Traditionally, healthcare has been built around treating illness after symptoms appear. However, some of the most important advances in healthcare today are happening before a patient ever reaches a hospital bed.

Advancements in diagnostics, imaging technologies, predictive analytics, and artificial intelligence are enabling clinicians to identify risks earlier than ever before. The conversation is gradually shifting from treatment to anticipation. Instead of asking how effectively a disease can be managed, healthcare providers are increasingly asking how early it can be detected.

This shift is particularly significant in areas such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, where early diagnosis can dramatically improve outcomes. It also makes economic sense. Detecting a condition early is often less costly than managing it once complications arise.

As healthcare systems become increasingly outcome-focused, early intervention is emerging as a critical differentiator. Organizations that can identify risks sooner and act faster will be better positioned to improve both patient outcomes and operational efficiency.

Continuous Care will Replace Episodic Care

However, the current practice of healthcare has been largely episodic for most of its modern history, implying that patients come to see a doctor once they feel sick, receive help, and come back only when another problem emerges. Although this approach works well for urgent problems, it is not appropriate for an environment where many chronic diseases make up a major portion of healthcare consumption.

Fortunately, MedTech can help to transform the situation for the better. With remote patient monitoring systems, wearables, and connected healthcare equipment, doctors will be able to monitor patients' health status after their visit to the clinic.

Thus, it opens the door for preventive actions that allow for identifying any risk factors before the emergence of complications that may worsen patients' conditions. The adoption of the new care approach can help those who have chronic diseases live better lives, reduce the number of hospital visits, and gain more confidence in the management of their health.

The Most Valuable Technologies are the Barely Visible Ones

Healthcare professionals are working in increasingly demanding environments. Administrative responsibilities continue to grow, patient expectations are rising, and workforce shortages remain a concern across many healthcare systems.

Against this backdrop, the success of any technology depends on whether it makes a clinician's job easier, not harder.

The most effective MedTech solutions are rarely the most visible. They are the systems that quietly reduce documentation burdens, simplify access to information, automate repetitive tasks, and support better decision-making without disrupting clinical workflows.

Technology should not compete for a clinician's attention. It should help clinicians focus their attention where it matters most: on patients.

This is particularly important as healthcare organizations seek to address clinician burnout while maintaining high standards of care. Innovations that reduce cognitive burden and streamline workflows are not simply operational improvements. They are becoming essential tools for delivering patient-centric, high-quality healthcare.

MedTech is Expanding Access Without Expanding Infrastructure

One of the most persistent challenges in healthcare is ensuring that quality care reaches everyone who needs it. Historically, improving access meant building more facilities, recruiting more specialists, and expanding physical infrastructure. While those investments remain important, they are often expensive, time-consuming, and difficult to scale. Technology is changing that equation.

Through telemedicine, connected diagnostics, and digital health platforms, healthcare organizations can now extend expertise far beyond traditional care settings. A specialist based in a metropolitan hospital can support patients hundreds of kilometres away. Diagnostic insights can be shared instantly. Clinical decisions can be supported without requiring patients to travel long distances.

The real breakthrough is not remote connectivity. It is the ability to scale expertise. MedTech allows healthcare systems to extend knowledge, capability, and quality of care without proportionately expanding physical infrastructure. In a country like India, where healthcare access remains uneven, this capability could prove transformational.

Conclusion

The healthcare organizations that will define the next decade are unlikely to be those with the largest footprint. They will be those who build the most effective care delivery models.

Healthcare is at a point where better outcomes can no longer be achieved through infrastructure expansion alone. The ability to diagnose earlier, make informed decisions faster, support clinicians more effectively, and reach patients beyond traditional care settings is becoming equally important.

MedTech is playing a central role in this shift. Its value lies not in the technology itself, but in its ability to solve real healthcare challenges and help providers deliver better care with greater efficiency.

For healthcare leaders, the conversation is no longer about adopting technology for the sake of innovation. It is about identifying where technology can create a meaningful impact for patients, clinicians, and healthcare systems alike. Those who approach MedTech with this mindset will be better equipped to meet the growing demands of modern healthcare and build care delivery models that are prepared for the future.

There are years when digital health in India inches forward. And then there are stretches like January to June 2026, six months where the sector didn't just add initiatives, it changed its own vocabulary. "AI hospital," "digital decision partner," "sovereign AI for healthcare," and "AI doctor per person" were budget lines, cabinet approvals, and MoUs signed by chief ministers.

Track the headlines from this period end to end, and a pattern emerges that's hard to overstate: this was the half-year India's states stopped treating digital health as a mandate and started competing to lead it.

The Budgets Talked First

Budgets are usually where policy ambition either gets confirmed or quietly dies. This year, they confirmed it, and at a scale that's genuinely striking. The Union Budget 2026 introduced Biopharma SHAKTI alongside a fresh push on medical hubs and mental health. States followed with allocations that would have seemed improbable even two years ago: Odisha earmarked over INR 23,000 Cr for healthcare infrastructure, Gujarat allocated INR 25,403 Cr, Karnataka added INR 17,473 Cr as a "booster shot," and Assam sketched out a INR 50,000 Cr health infrastructure vision through the cabinet agenda. Uttar Pradesh alone committed INR 2,000 Cr specifically to AI in healthcare.

What's notable isn't just the size of these numbers; it's how specifically they were earmarked. Himachal Pradesh committed INR 3,000 Cr to a "healthtech upgrade." Chhattisgarh directed funds toward AI and MedTech innovation via an STPI partnership. Telangana tied its Biopharma SHAKTI allocation directly to a life-sciences ecosystem that had already crossed a $145 Bn valuation. Budget, this cycle, came with a technology roadmap attached.

AI Moved from Promise to Product

If there's one throughline across all 28 weeks, it's that artificial intelligence in Indian healthcare stopped being aspirational. India's first government AI clinic went live. UP applied AI across its public healthcare systems and separately committed to an AI-based clinical workflow overhaul. Jharkhand approved AI in healthcare and partnered with Google to modernize its digital health systems. Assam's CM personally led an AI hospital push in partnership with Lord's Mark Industries.

And then there was Andhra Pradesh, whose ambition arguably set the tone for the whole period: Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu proposed a "one AI doctor per person" model, backed it with a statewide Sanjeevani rollout of over 900 mobile medical units, and pushed AI-based diagnostics that had already reached over 12,000 patients by April.

Regulation caught up almost as fast as adoption. India tightened oversight of AI diagnostic software, making regulatory licenses mandatory, a signal that the centre is treating clinical AI as a governed medical product category. The Centre also imposed specific norms for AI-based cancer detection, while the CDSCO released its final risk classification list for oncology medical devices.

Ethics entered the conversation formally too, with Union Minister Jitendra Singh emphasizing it publicly as BharatGen launched Param 2, and separately as BharatGen signed with Amrita Institutions to build what's being called India's sovereign AI for healthcare.

ABDM Stopped Being an Acronym & Became Infrastructure

The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission has been described as India's digital health backbone for years. This half-year is when that description started looking literal. India's digital health ecosystem has reached a new milestone, with more than 105 crore health records now linked to over 93 crore ABHA accounts. Odisha began piloting ABDM in Keonjhar with plans to expand statewide. Jharkhand advanced paperless health services under the mission, and Bihar made digital health records mandatory across its medical colleges. Tripura deployed a QR-based digital health system through IHMIS specifically to plug into the same architecture.

By June, a national drug registry launched under ABDM to standardize medicine information nationwide, the National Health Claim Exchange (NHCX) expanded to strengthen digital claims, and West Bengal became the 36th state or Union Territory to formally join Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY. The ecosystem has continued to expand beyond digital health records. The government recently introduced Aarogya Setu 2.0 as a citizen-facing application under ABDM, bringing together multiple digital health services on a single platform.

For a mission that depends entirely on state-by-state participation, watching the map fill in over six months was itself the story.

Physician-Led Innovation Kept Pace with Policy

What kept this period from feeling purely top-down was how much came from clinicians themselves. AIIMS doctors extended telerobotic ultrasound care as far as Antarctica. IIT Madras released India's first genome database for paediatric leukaemia, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers, following an earlier cancer genome database aimed at identifying India-specific biomarkers. NIMHANS opened India's first endovascular innovation lab and unveiled a stroke device prototype. AIIMS Bhopal announced plans to deploy a "digital decision partner" for doctors at the bedside, clinical decision support moving from pilot language into a named, biddable initiative.

Mental health, long the underfunded corner of Indian digital health, also got real infrastructure: India unveiled MANAS 1, trained on 60,000 hours of brainwave data to detect disorders early, alongside the country's first open-source repository for major psychiatric disorders, CALM-Brain. NIMHANS separately called for a national framework to regulate digital mental health tools, a sign that the field is maturing fast enough to need guardrails.

Infrastructure Bets Got Bigger, and More Global

Capital-intensive builds also defined the period. Gujarat announced an INR 13,000 Cr international-standard medicity near Ahmedabad.

Maharashtra signed a $1.2 Bn MoU with the Cleveland Clinic for a Navi Mumbai International MediCity. Assam's BSL-4 bio-containment lab, foundation-laid by Amit Shah at INR 362 Cr, signalled that pandemic-preparedness infrastructure is now part of the same conversation as digital diagnostics.

India-Germany medical technology cooperation deepened in parallel, and Google's partnership with AIIMS was a moment that drew as much attention for its symbolism as its specifics.

Six-Month Snapshot

What defines these 6 months is the sheer density of concurrent movement: a national AI clinic here, a state medicity there, a genome database, a bio-containment lab, a sovereign AI model, a mobile medical unit fleet, all landing in overlapping weeks rather than spread thin across years.

Digital health in India has long been described as the convergence of policy, capital, and clinical innovation. This was the half-year that convergence stopped being a talking point and started showing up in budget documents and cabinet minutes instead.

The test now is durability. Announcements are cheap; execution against an INR 23,000 Cr allocation or a 900-unit mobile fleet deadline is not. But if the volume and specificity of H1 2026 are any indication, India's digital health ecosystem enters the second half of the year with more institutional weight behind it than at any point before.

The upcoming center is expected to offer super-speciality outpatient departments (OPDs) across multiple specialties, enabling patients to access consultations and treatment closer to their communities.

Pacific OneHealth has announced plans to launch a new healthcare facility in Karol Bagh, New Delhi, as part of its expansion efforts aimed at enhancing access to specialized medical services in the national capital.

The upcoming facility is being developed to provide a range of clinical and surgical services supported by modern healthcare infrastructure and technology-driven care delivery.

It brings advanced medical care, modern infrastructure, and compassionate treatment under one roof.

The upcoming center is expected to offer super-speciality outpatient departments (OPDs) across multiple specialties, enabling patients to access consultations and treatment closer to their communities.

The facility will also feature advanced modular operation theatres designed to support a variety of surgical procedures.

In addition, the healthcare center will provide advanced critical care services, strengthening its ability to manage patients requiring intensive monitoring and specialized treatment.

As per the healthcare organisation, the new facility is intended to combine clinical expertise, healthcare technology, and patient-centric services under a single roof.

Further details regarding the facility's capacity, specialties, and operational timeline are expected to be announced closer to its opening.

The latest announcement comes as Pacific OneHealth continues to expand its healthcare footprint across North India.

Earlier this year, the healthcare organisation had outlined an INR 300 crore plan to develop a network of micro-hospitals across North India.

The proposed micro-hospital network is intended to function as an intermediary layer between primary care clinics and tertiary-care hospitals.

These facilities are designed to function as community-based surgical and care units, aimed at reducing the burden on larger hospitals by handling routine procedures and stabilisation cases locally.

Equipped with advanced technologies, the laboratory is capable of diagnosing, classifying, and monitoring a wide spectrum of cancers, blood disorders, and inherited genetic diseases

The Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS) and SUM Hospital have established the first comprehensive in-house Molecular Diagnostics and Genomics Laboratory in Odisha, aimed at enhancing precision diagnostics capabilities.

Equipped with advanced technologies such as next-generation sequencing (NGS), fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH), cytogenetics, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), real-time PCR and Sanger sequencing, the laboratory is capable of diagnosing, classifying and monitoring a wide spectrum of cancers, blood disorders and inherited genetic diseases.

The facility houses advanced sequencing platforms, including the Ion GeneStudio S5 Plus, Illumina MiSeq i100, and Illumina NextSeq 2000, enabling both targeted gene analysis and large-scale genomic applications such as whole-exome and transcriptome sequencing.

It is supported by sophisticated infrastructure for nucleic acid quality assessment, cytogenetics, FISH imaging, and molecular pathology.

According to the hospital, genomic testing will support the management of both blood cancers and solid tumours by helping clinicians establish diagnoses, determine prognoses and identify patients eligible for targeted therapies. It will also assist in monitoring treatment response through multidisciplinary molecular tumour boards.

Beyond diagnosis, the laboratory will also monitor treatment response by tracking molecular changes during therapy.

The facility is expected to have a wider impact on healthcare delivery in Odisha by reducing dependence on laboratories outside the state.

Commenting on the latest facility, Dr Shivangi Harankhedkar, head of the Department of Molecular Diagnostics and Genomics at IMS and SUM Hospital, said, "Diagnosis for cancer or suspected genetic disorders is no longer dependent only on what can be seen under the microscope. We have entered the era of precision medicine, where decoding genetic information is guiding diagnosis and treatment.”

He also announced that the state government would invest INR 125 crore to establish automated laboratories in government medical colleges, enabling fully automated and highly accurate diagnostic tests

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has recently unveiled an advanced 3-Tesla MRI facility at the Atal Institute of Medical Super Specialties (AIMSS), Chamiyana, Shimla, aimed at strengthening advanced diagnostic capabilities in the state.

With the launch of the new system, the AIMSS has become the second government healthcare institution in Himachal Pradesh, after IGMC Shimla, which has been equipped with advanced imaging technology.

As per the government, the 3-Tesla MRI machine is installed at a cost of approximately INR 23 crore.

The system is designed to provide improved image quality while enabling faster scanning and enhanced diagnostic accuracy by leveraging the latest generation of magnetic resonance imaging technology.

Commenting on the latest system, CM Sukhu stated that the installation of the advanced MRI facility would significantly strengthen the diagnostic capabilities of various super-specialty departments, enabling doctors to diagnose and treat complex medical conditions more effectively.

He further said that patients would no longer have to travel outside the institution for MRI investigations, resulting in substantial savings of both time and money while ensuring timely access to quality healthcare services.

In addition, he announced that the state government would invest INR 125 crore to establish automated laboratories in government medical colleges, enabling fully automated and highly accurate diagnostic tests, which are expected to improve patient care and treatment outcomes.

He added that the government’s objective was to achieve zero waiting time for all diagnostic tests by implementing systematic reforms across the healthcare system.

Further, the CM also launched the AIMSS mobile application, which would enable patients to access comprehensive information about the institute and its services.

By combining intelligent diagnostics with a connected digital workflow, FH Eyepal is expected to improve screening efficiency, enable early detection of eye conditions, and support better continuity of care.

Bengaluru-based Forus Health has launched FH Eyepal, a portable Digital Eye Clinic aimed at enabling healthcare providers to deliver comprehensive eye examinations beyond conventional hospital settings.

The new solution aims to make quality eye care more accessible by enabling healthcare providers to transform virtually any location into a fully equipped eye screening clinic within minutes.

Designed as a compact, portable solution, it can be deployed across primary healthcare centres, community health programmes, corporate wellness initiatives, vision camps, and home-based care settings

The solution integrates multiple components of an eye examination workflow into a single platform, including handheld vision screening, objective refraction using a handheld autorefractometer, subjective refraction through a digital wearable refractor, and high-quality retinal imaging using a handheld fundus camera.

It is intended to enable healthcare providers to perform comprehensive eye examinations using a single, integrated platform.

At the core of the solution is Forus Health's Digital Health Platform, which creates a unified digital patient record while managing the complete connected workflow from refraction to spectacle delivery through the Telecare portal.

The devices are seamlessly integrated through Bluetooth, ensuring uninterrupted workflow even in locations with inconsistent internet connectivity.

Powered by FH POISE, Forus Health's proprietary artificial intelligence platform, retinal images are analysed instantly to identify potential abnormalities and support timely clinical decision-making.

By combining intelligent diagnostics with a connected digital workflow, FH Eyepal is expected to improve screening efficiency, enable early detection of eye conditions, and support better continuity of care.

The solution is designed for flexible deployment across diverse healthcare settings.

It seeks to support healthcare providers by expanding screening programmes, improving operational efficiency, and delivering specialist-quality eye care to every community without the need for permanent clinical infrastructure.

Speaking on the launch, K. Chandrasekhar, Co-Founder and CEO, Forus Health, said, “Built on nearly a decade of experience in developing and deploying innovative ophthalmic technologies across multiple countries, FH Eyepal, The Digital Eye Clinic, represents the next step in that journey.”

“FH eyepal is far more than a collection of advanced imaging devices. It is a fully integrated digital eye care ecosystem that enables a complete eye clinic to be established virtually anywhere within minutes. By bringing together diagnostics, workflow, connectivity and clinical decision support on a single platform, we have removed many of the traditional barriers associated with setting up a conventional eye clinic,” he added.

Ashoka Health City has been designed as an integrated healthcare facility that brings together advanced medical treatment, education, research, and patient-centric care under one campus.

Ashoka Healthcity and the Ashoka Women & Children Hospital have been unveiled in Nashik, aimed at enhancing access to advanced medical services across North Maharashtra.

Developed by the Ashoka Group in collaboration with HOSMAC, Ashoka Health City has been designed as an integrated healthcare facility that brings together advanced medical treatment, education, research, and patient-centric care under one campus. The project is intended to strengthen healthcare infrastructure in North Maharashtra while enabling patients to access super-speciality treatment closer to home.

Among the key addition includes the 115-bed Ashoka Women & Children Hospital, North Maharashtra’s first theme-based exclusive Women & Children Hospital.

The facility is intended to provide specialized healthcare for women, newborns, infants, and children under one roof.

The facility is designed to provide advanced pediatric, neonatal, and critical care services supported by advanced Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU), Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICU), Pediatric Super Specialty, modern labour suites, modular operation theatres, advanced diagnostic facilities, vaccination services, developmental assessment clinics, and emergency pediatric care.

The hospital joins the existing healthcare facilities within Ashoka Health City, including Ashoka Medicover Hospital, a multi-specialty tertiary care hospital, and Ashoka CCA Hospital, a dedicated oncology centre. Both facilities were also planned and designed by HOSMAC as part of the broader healthcare campus.

Addressing the gathering, Birla noted that Ashoka Health City is serving not only Nashik but also the wider North Maharashtra region. Referring to the newly inaugurated Mother and Child Hospital, he emphasized the need for high-quality healthcare facilities dedicated to the well-being of mothers and children. He called for intensified efforts to reduce infant mortality in the country.

He further stated that better hospitals and quality healthcare facilities are essential for achieving this objective. He urged private institutions to expand healthcare services with a spirit of social responsibility and public service so that their benefits reach all sections of society

Expressing confidence in the project's long-term impact, Birla stated that Ashoka Health City has the potential to emerge as an important centre for the treatment of serious diseases and is expected to provide affordable, quality, and sustainable healthcare while also promoting medical research.

Commenting on the latest facility, Ashok Katariya, Chairman, Ashoka Group, said that Ashoka Health City represents a significant milestone in the Group’s journey towards creating a world-class healthcare ecosystem that combines advanced technology with compassionate and affordable patient care.

The latest facilities were inaugurated by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in the presence of dignitaries, healthcare leaders, and representatives from the Ashoka Group and HOSMAC.

Singh further said government initiatives such as the PLI scheme have accelerated domestic manufacturing of medical devices and healthcare technologies.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh says India is strengthening its position in global health by advancing indigenous innovations in gene therapy, nuclear medicine, medical technology, and affordable healthcare, while expanding medical education and healthcare infrastructure.

India has increasingly positioned itself as a hub for indigenous healthcare innovation, with the government promoting research, local manufacturing, and affordable access to medical technologies.

Addressing a recent convocation ceremony in Lucknow, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said these efforts are helping the country contribute solutions to global health challenges while making its healthcare system more self-reliant.

He said the country's health system is becoming more accessible, affordable, modern, and people-centric while reducing dependence on imported technologies.

Highlighting recent scientific achievements, he said Indian researchers have successfully demonstrated an indigenous gene therapy for haemophilia.

He also noted that scientists at a Pune-based research institute have developed an advanced nanomedicine for breast cancer treatment, reflecting the country's growing capabilities in precision medicine and advanced therapeutics.

Singh further said government initiatives such as the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme have accelerated domestic manufacturing of medical devices and healthcare technologies.

According to him, India developed Nafithromycin in 2024, describing it as the country's first indigenous macrolide antibiotic for the treatment of Community-Acquired Bacterial Pneumonia.

He also referred to the development of India's first indigenous MRI system in 2023.

"In 2024, we developed Nafithromycin, the first indigenous macrolide antibiotic. It will prove highly effective in the treatment of Community-Acquired Bacterial Pneumonia. Today, India is rapidly advancing towards self-reliance in the health sector. In 2023, we developed the first indigenous MRI machine, which is affordable, lightweight, ultrafast, and high-field," Singh said.

Referring to healthcare development in Uttar Pradesh, Singh said the number of operational medical colleges has increased from 17 before 2017 to 81, while two AIIMS are now functional in the state, enabling Uttar Pradesh to achieve the milestone of having at least one medical college in every district.

Addressing graduating medical professionals, Singh also urged doctors to prioritise their own well-being, noting that the profession involves significant stress that can affect both physical and mental health.

He said expanding medical education and ensuring an adequate supply of doctors and specialists remain central to strengthening India's healthcare system.

The technology is built on a proprietary large language model trained using more than 200 million real patient interactions and validated by over 7,500 licensed clinicians in the United States.

US-based global eye health organization Bausch + Lomb has launched Orphia, a new AI-powered digital health platform designed to help ophthalmologists spend more time with patients by streamlining routine workflows.

The platform has debuted with an AI-driven cataract education solution that prepares patients before surgery and lays the foundation for broader digital health capabilities throughout the eye care journey.

"We've invested deeply in developing better products, better molecules and better devices, and that work has advanced patient care. But one question has remained largely unanswered: How can we help physicians spend less time on everything around care and more time delivering it?" said Brent Saunders, Chairman and CEO, Bausch + Lomb.

Orphia will operate under Bausch + Lomb's newly established Digital Health Services division and has been built as a brand-agnostic platform, allowing it to support eye care providers regardless of the products, devices or treatments they use.

Rather than replacing existing clinical systems, the platform has been designed to integrate with them, generating actionable insights while fitting into established practice workflows.

Its first application focuses on pre-surgery cataract education. Through conversational AI, patients receive information about their condition, treatment options and common concerns before meeting their surgeon.

The objective is to ensure patients arrive better informed, making consultations more productive and allowing physicians to dedicate more attention to clinical decision-making instead of routine explanations.

To develop its conversational patient engagement capabilities, Bausch + Lomb has partnered with Hippocratic AI, a company specialising in voice AI agents for healthcare and life sciences.

The technology is built on a proprietary large language model trained using more than 200 million real patient interactions and validated by over 7,500 licensed clinicians in the United States.

The company says the platform is already deployed across several major healthcare organisations.

The company plans to gradually expand Orphia beyond cataract education to support additional stages of the patient journey, including care coordination, practice workflow optimisation and other operational processes intended to reduce administrative workload.

The platform will be led by Manisha Narasimhan, President of Digital Health Services at Bausch + Lomb, as the company expands its focus from traditional eye care products to AI-enabled digital health solutions.

The transaction has added 11 hospitals across Maharashtra to the healthcare provider's network, taking its total to 49 hospitals with nearly 12,000 beds across the country.

Manipal Hospitals has announced the acquisition of Sahyadri Hospitals in an estimated INR 6,300 crore deal, significantly expanding its footprint in western India.

The transaction has added 11 hospitals across Maharashtra to the healthcare provider's network, taking its total to 49 hospitals with nearly 12,000 beds across the country.

Under the agreement, Manipal Hospitals will acquire Sahyadri Hospitals from Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board, which had acquired a majority stake in the Pune-headquartered hospital chain in 2022.

Sahyadri Hospitals is among Maharashtra's largest private healthcare providers, operating 11 hospitals with more than 1,400 beds across Pune, Nashik, Ahilya Nagar and Karad.

The acquisition substantially strengthens Manipal Hospitals' presence in Maharashtra, one of India's largest healthcare markets.

By integrating Sahyadri Hospitals into its network, the company is expected to enhance access to tertiary and quaternary healthcare services while expanding its reach across key urban and regional centres in western India.

Commenting on the acquisition, Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG) Chairman Ranjan Pai said, "With this expansion, Manipal Hospitals will have a network of approximately 12,000 beds nationwide, solidifying our position as one of the largest hospital chains in India."

The expanded scale is also expected to reinforce the company's market position as it prepares for a potential initial public offering (IPO), while enabling greater investments in specialised care, digital health capabilities and integrated healthcare delivery.

Backed by Singapore-based investment firm Temasek, Manipal Hospitals has steadily grown through a series of acquisitions over the past few years.

The transaction received approval from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) earlier in September 2025, clearing the regulatory requirement for the acquisition to proceed.

India's healthcare sector is generating more digital health data than ever before. The country has made significant progress in building the foundation for a digitally connected healthcare ecosystem with over 900 million Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts (ABHAs) created and thousands of healthcare facilities onboarded under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM).

Yet, when a patient moves from a primary care clinic to a specialist hospital or from one healthcare provider to another, their medical history often fails to move with them. Clinicians are forced to make decisions based on incomplete information, patients frequently undergo duplicate diagnostic tests, and valuable time is lost in delivering timely and coordinated care.

Recognizing these challenges, India has adopted a federated digital health architecture through ABDM, enabling secure, consent-based health information exchange across hospitals, laboratories, pharmacies, insurers, and digital health applications. Unlike centralized healthcare systems adopted by several countries, India's approach leverages open standards, digital registries, and interoperable infrastructure to create a patient-centric ecosystem where health information can be accessed securely across the continuum of care. However, building digital infrastructure is only the first step. The real challenge lies in ensuring that healthcare systems can seamlessly communicate, interpret, and use health information across diverse organizations and technology platforms.

Why Records Remain Fragmented

Many healthcare providers continue to rely on legacy Hospital Information Systems (HIS) and proprietary Electronic Medical Record (EMR) platforms that were never designed for seamless data exchange. Adoption of interoperability standards such as HL7 FHIR and SNOMED CT remains uneven due to high implementation costs, inconsistent clinical documentation, limited technical expertise, and varying levels of digital maturity across healthcare organizations. As a result, patient information often remains locked within individual institutions, restricting care coordination and limiting the broader benefits of digital health investments.

The consequences extend far beyond technology. Fragmented health information impacts every stakeholder in the healthcare ecosystem, it prevents clinicians from accessing complete patient histories, delays insurance claims processing, increases administrative burden for hospitals, limits the effectiveness of AI-driven clinical decision support, and constrains population health management and public health surveillance. Conversely, a truly interoperable ecosystem can enable longitudinal patient records, reduce duplicate investigations, improve care coordination, accelerate value-based healthcare, and unlock data-driven innovation across the healthcare continuum.

As India enters the next phase of its digital health transformation, the conversation must shift from digitization to connectivity. The question is no longer whether India needs interoperable healthcare, it is how quickly the ecosystem can overcome the technical, operational, and governance barriers to make seamless health information exchange a reality. This article explores the current state of healthcare interoperability in India, examines why implementation continues to lag despite the progress made through ABDM, highlights real-world success stories, and outlines the strategic priorities required to build a truly connected, patient-centric healthcare ecosystem.

Key Lessons from India's Interoperability Journey

India's healthcare ecosystem already offers compelling evidence that interoperability can deliver tangible value when implemented effectively. Across diverse use cases such as Apollo Hospitals integrating electronic medical records, diagnostics, teleconsultation, and AI-enabled clinical decision support; eSanjeevani connecting patients in remote areas with specialists through digitally accessible consultation records, Tata Memorial Centre enabling multidisciplinary oncology teams to collaborate using shared patient information; and CoWIN demonstrating population-scale digital integration during the COVID-19 vaccination programme, each initiative highlights how seamless health information exchange can improve care coordination, reduce duplication, accelerate clinical decision-making, and enhance patient outcomes.

Collectively, these examples reinforce an important industry lesson: interoperability is not merely about connecting IT systems, it is about transforming healthcare delivery. The success of these initiatives was driven not only by technology but also by standardized data exchange, strong governance, clinician adoption, and well-integrated workflows. As India scales the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), the focus must shift from creating isolated digital solutions to building a connected healthcare ecosystem where hospitals, laboratories, pharmacies, insurers, and digital health platforms can securely exchange and meaningfully use patient data. Organizations that treat interoperability as a strategic capability rather than a compliance exercise will be better positioned to improve operational efficiency, enable AI-driven innovation, and deliver truly patient-centric care.

Challenges Hindering Healthcare Interoperability in India

Despite the progress made under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), achieving seamless interoperability remains a complex undertaking. India's healthcare ecosystem comprises thousands of public and private healthcare providers operating with different levels of digital maturity, diverse technology platforms, and varying implementation capabilities. While ABDM has established the foundational architecture for secure health information exchange, several operational, technical, and organizational barriers continue to slow ecosystem-wide adoption.

Fragmented Hospital Information Systems & Legacy Infrastructure

One of the biggest barriers to interoperability is the fragmented nature of Hospital Information Systems (HIS) across India's healthcare landscape. Many hospitals have expanded over several years through acquisitions, mergers, or incremental technology investments, resulting in multiple HIS, Laboratory Information Systems (LIS), Radiology Information Systems (RIS), and Electronic Medical Record (EMR) platforms operating simultaneously. These systems were often procured from different vendors and built using proprietary data formats with limited interoperability capabilities.

Large healthcare networks have begun modernizing their digital infrastructure, but for many mid-sized and smaller providers, integrating legacy applications with ABDM-compliant APIs requires custom middleware, extensive data mapping, workflow redesign, and significant investment. Beyond the technical complexity, these integration projects can temporarily disrupt clinical operations, making organizations cautious about large-scale modernization.

Without modernizing legacy infrastructure, patient records remain confined within individual institutions, limiting care continuity and reducing the effectiveness of nationwide health information exchange. More importantly, this fragmentation prevents healthcare providers from developing a longitudinal view of a patient's medical history, resulting in duplicated diagnostics, delayed clinical decisions, and fragmented care journeys. Accelerating legacy system modernization will therefore be critical to unlocking the full potential of ABDM and enabling truly connected, patient-centric healthcare across India.

Limited Adoption of Global Interoperability Standards

Standards such as HL7 FHIR, SNOMED CT, LOINC, and ICD-10/11 provide the technical foundation for seamless health information exchange. However, their adoption across India's healthcare ecosystem remains uneven. While large hospital groups and digital-first healthcare organizations are increasingly implementing FHIR-based APIs, many providers continue to rely on customized EMR systems, proprietary coding structures, and inconsistent clinical documentation practices.

The challenge extends beyond technology. Implementing standardized clinical terminologies requires reconfiguring hospital workflows, training clinicians and coders, updating existing software, and ensuring consistent data capture across departments. For organizations operating under tight budgets and workforce constraints, these investments are often viewed as secondary to immediate clinical priorities. Without widespread adoption of standardized data models and clinical vocabularies, healthcare organizations cannot reliably exchange or interpret patient information, limiting care coordination, advanced analytics, and AI-driven clinical decision support.

Uneven Digital Maturity Across Healthcare Providers

India's digital health ecosystem is characterized by significant variation in digital maturity. While leading corporate hospital networks have invested in cloud-enabled Electronic Health Records, AI-powered clinical decision support, and integrated patient engagement platforms, many district hospitals, nursing homes, and primary care facilities continue to rely on paper-based records or basic Hospital Information Systems.

This disparity creates an uneven interoperability landscape where digitally mature organizations can exchange structured health information, while less digitally advanced providers remain disconnected from the broader ecosystem. The challenge is particularly evident in Tier II and Tier III cities, where limited IT infrastructure, unreliable connectivity, and resource constraints slow the adoption of modern digital health technologies. Interoperability can only deliver value when participation extends across the entire care continuum, not just digitally advanced hospitals. Bridging this digital divide is essential for inclusive and equitable healthcare delivery.

Workforce & Change Management Challenges

Technology alone cannot enable interoperability without a workforce capable of implementing and using it effectively. Healthcare organizations require professionals with expertise in health informatics, interoperability standards, cybersecurity, enterprise architecture, and data governance. However, India continues to face a shortage of specialized digital health talent, particularly outside major metropolitan areas.

Equally important is clinician adoption. Introducing interoperable systems often requires changes to clinical documentation practices, coding standards, and everyday workflows. Without adequate training and stakeholder engagement, digital initiatives risk becoming administrative burdens rather than tools that enhance patient care.

Interoperability is ultimately as much a people and process challenge as it is a technology initiative. Successful implementation requires healthcare organizations to redesign clinical workflows, strengthen collaboration between IT and clinical teams, and continuously upskill healthcare professionals to work with standardized digital systems. Organizations that invest in workforce readiness alongside technology modernization will be better positioned to achieve sustained adoption and long-term value from interoperability initiatives. Sustainable interoperability depends as much on organizational change management and workforce readiness as it does on technology investments.

Data Privacy, Cybersecurity, & Trust

As healthcare organizations exchange increasing volumes of sensitive patient information, cybersecurity and trust become critical enablers of interoperability. Healthcare has emerged as one of the most targeted sectors for ransomware attacks globally, making providers increasingly cautious about expanding digital connectivity. In India, compliance with the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023, together with robust consent management under ABDM, has become central to protecting patient information.

Beyond regulatory compliance, organizations must implement encryption, secure authentication, continuous monitoring, audit trails, and privacy-by-design principles to build confidence among patients and healthcare providers.

Trust is the cornerstone of every connected healthcare ecosystem. While ABDM has established a consent-based framework for health information exchange, sustained adoption will depend on healthcare organizations demonstrating strong data stewardship through secure digital infrastructure, transparent governance, and rigorous privacy safeguards. Building this trust is essential to encouraging patients to actively participate in digital health services. Without strong cybersecurity and transparent data governance, patients may hesitate to share health information, undermining trust in digital health initiatives and slowing interoperability adoption.

High Cost of Integration and Unclear Return on Investment

Interoperability is often perceived as a significant financial investment rather than an immediate business priority. Modernizing legacy systems, integrating with ABDM APIs, adopting interoperability standards, strengthening cybersecurity, and training staff require considerable capital and operational expenditure. While large healthcare providers may have dedicated digital transformation budgets, many small and mid-sized hospitals struggle to justify these costs, particularly when the financial benefits are realized over the long term.

Industry experts increasingly argue that reducing implementation costs through standardized integration toolkits, cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms, and government-supported incentive programs will be essential to accelerating nationwide adoption.

The success of India's interoperability agenda will depend not only on technological readiness but also on economic sustainability. Healthcare organizations are more likely to invest in interoperability when implementation costs are predictable, integration is simplified, and the business value, through improved operational efficiency, better patient outcomes, and streamlined reimbursement processes, is clearly demonstrated. Policymakers and technology vendors therefore have a critical role in lowering adoption barriers through shared digital infrastructure, standardized implementation frameworks, and incentive-driven programmes. Unless interoperability becomes economically viable for healthcare providers of all sizes, adoption is likely to remain concentrated among larger healthcare organizations, limiting the effectiveness of India's connected healthcare ecosystem.

The barriers to interoperability are no longer primarily technological, they are increasingly organizational, operational, and economic. India has already established the policy framework and digital infrastructure through ABDM. The next phase of transformation will depend on how effectively healthcare providers modernize legacy systems, adopt common standards, build digital capabilities, and embed interoperability into everyday clinical practice. Organizations that view interoperability as a strategic investment in patient care and operational resilience, rather than a compliance obligation, will be best positioned to thrive in India's evolving digital health ecosystem.

The Way Forward in Scaling Interoperability Across India's Healthcare Ecosystem

India has already established a strong policy foundation for digital health through the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). The next phase of transformation will depend less on building new digital platforms and more on enabling seamless, standards-based data exchange across the healthcare ecosystem. Achieving this vision requires coordinated action from policymakers, healthcare providers, technology vendors, payers, and clinical stakeholders. Over the next three to five years, five strategic priorities should guide India's interoperability journey.

Modernize Legacy Hospital Systems and Accelerate Digital Readiness

The greatest barrier to interoperability is not the absence of national standards but the prevalence of fragmented legacy Hospital Information Systems (HIS) across healthcare providers. Governments and healthcare organizations should prioritize upgrading legacy infrastructure through cloud-enabled, API-first architectures that support ABDM integration and standards-based data exchange. Financial incentives, implementation toolkits, and public-private partnerships can help smaller hospitals and primary care facilities overcome cost and technical barriers. Modernizing foundational digital infrastructure is essential before organizations can fully participate in a connected healthcare ecosystem.

Drive Nationwide Adoption of Interoperability Standards

Although ABDM promotes standards such as HL7 FHIR, SNOMED CT, LOINC, and ICD-10/11, adoption remains inconsistent across providers and technology vendors. A stronger certification and compliance framework is needed to ensure that Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems, Hospital Information Systems, laboratories, and digital health platforms adhere to common interoperability requirements. Establishing standardized implementation guidelines, interoperability testing frameworks, and vendor certification programmes will reduce integration complexity and improve the consistency and quality of health information exchange nationwide.

Build a Skilled Digital Health Workforce

Technology alone cannot deliver interoperability without professionals capable of implementing and sustaining it. India should invest in developing a multidisciplinary workforce with expertise in health informatics, interoperability standards, cybersecurity, clinical terminology, data governance, and healthcare enterprise architecture. At the same time, clinicians, nurses, and hospital administrators require structured training to integrate interoperable systems into routine clinical workflows. Building digital capabilities across both technical and clinical teams will be critical to ensuring long-term adoption and maximizing the value of digital health investments.

Expand Ecosystem Collaboration Beyond Hospitals

A truly connected healthcare ecosystem extends far beyond hospitals. Future interoperability efforts should strengthen collaboration among providers, insurers, pharmacies, diagnostic laboratories, public health agencies, and digital health companies to enable seamless end-to-end care journeys. Integrating payer and provider systems can streamline insurance claims, reduce administrative overhead, and support the transition toward value-based healthcare. At the same time, greater participation from health Tech innovators will accelerate the development of patient-centric applications, AI-enabled decision support, remote monitoring solutions, and digital therapeutics built on interoperable health data.

Establish National Interoperability Maturity Benchmarks

Measuring interoperability will be as important as implementing it. India should introduce a national interoperability maturity framework that enables healthcare organizations to assess their readiness across technology infrastructure, standards adoption, governance, cybersecurity, workforce capabilities, and data quality. Regular benchmarking and public reporting can help identify implementation gaps, encourage continuous improvement, and guide targeted policy interventions. Similar maturity models have played an important role in accelerating digital health adoption globally, and a comparable framework could provide Indian healthcare organizations with a clear roadmap toward ecosystem-wide interoperability.

India has already demonstrated its ability to build population-scale digital platforms through initiatives such as Aadhaar, UPI, CoWIN, and now ABDM. The next challenge is to translate this digital foundation into a seamlessly connected healthcare ecosystem where patient information flows securely across every stage of the care journey. Success will require interoperability to be treated not as a technology upgrade or regulatory requirement, but as a strategic enabler of better clinical outcomes, operational efficiency, and healthcare innovation. Organizations that begin investing in interoperable infrastructure, standardized data exchange, and ecosystem partnerships today will be best positioned to lead India's next phase of digital health transformation.

Interoperability the Cornerstone of India’s Digital Health Future

India has already demonstrated its ability to build population-scale digital public infrastructure through initiatives such as Aadhaar, UPI, CoWIN, and now the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). The next phase of this transformation, however, will not be defined by how many digital health platforms are deployed, but by how effectively they communicate with one another. The true value of digital health lies not in isolated systems, but in creating a connected ecosystem where patient information flows securely and seamlessly across hospitals, laboratories, pharmacies, insurers, and public health agencies.

Realizing this vision will require more than technology adoption. It demands sustained collaboration among policymakers, healthcare providers, healthtech companies, payers, and clinicians to modernize legacy systems, accelerate standards adoption, strengthen governance, and build a digitally skilled workforce. Organizations that invest in interoperability today will be better positioned to improve care coordination, reduce operational inefficiencies, accelerate AI-driven innovation, and support the transition toward value-based, patient-centric healthcare.

Ultimately, interoperability is no longer an IT initiative or a regulatory requirement, it is a strategic capability that will determine the resilience, competitiveness, and future readiness of India's healthcare ecosystem. As the country moves from digitization to true connectivity, success will not be measured by the volume of health data generated, but by the ability to transform that data into timely, coordinated, and actionable insights that improve patient outcomes. The organizations that embrace interoperability as a core strategic priority today will be the ones shaping the future of connected healthcare in India.

Through this partnership, the two organizations aim to leverage AI and digital technologies to improve healthcare accessibility and enhance women's quality of life.

Biz-Insights IT Solutions has partnered with Japan's Femtech Cosme Tokyo to bring AI-powered women's health solutions to India, combining Japanese healthcare expertise with India's digital innovation capabilities.

In a move to strengthen cross-border healthcare innovation, Biz-Insights IT Solutions, led by Founder & Director Kunal Shah, has entered into a strategic partnership with Femtech Cosme Tokyo, headed by CEO Sakae Kihara. The collaboration aims to accelerate the adoption of technology-driven solutions for women's health and wellness in India.

The partnership will focus on developing AI-enabled healthcare solutions, digital health platforms, research initiatives, technology integration, and knowledge exchange, while exploring future product development tailored to the evolving healthcare needs of women in India.

Biz-Insights IT Solutions is a technology company specializing in artificial intelligence, business and IT consulting, web development, and mobile application development. With operations across India, the United States, and the United Kingdom, the company serves clients in healthcare, education, manufacturing, finance, e-commerce, retail, and other sectors.

Femtech Cosme Tokyo is known for its work in women's healthcare innovation, research, and wellness-focused solutions. Through this partnership, the two organizations aim to leverage AI and digital technologies to improve healthcare accessibility and enhance women's quality of life.

Speaking on the collaboration, Kunal Shah, Founder & Director, Biz-Insights IT Solutions, said, "Women's wellness deserves continuous innovation and accessible solutions. We are proud to collaborate with Femtech Cosme Tokyo and Mr. Sakae Kihara to bring global expertise closer to Indian women. This partnership reflects our commitment to building technology that creates meaningful social impact while strengthening international collaboration between India and Japan."

Echoing the sentiment, Sakae Kihara, CEO, Femtech Cosme Tokyo, highlighted the importance of combining Japanese innovation with India's rapidly expanding digital ecosystem to develop impactful healthcare solutions that improve women's well-being.

The collaboration is expected to drive joint initiatives in AI-powered healthcare, digital health platforms, research, technology integration, business collaboration, and knowledge exchange, while supporting the development of future-ready solutions for women's healthcare.

The partnership also marks another step in Biz-Insights IT Solutions' global expansion strategy, following its presence in the United States and the United Kingdom. By combining Japanese expertise with India's growing digital health ecosystem, both organizations aim to contribute to a more accessible, inclusive, and technology-enabled future for women's healthcare.

The conversation around precision healthcare has gained significant momentum in recent years as advances in genomics, artificial intelligence, and health data analytics continue to reshape how diseases are prevented, diagnosed, and managed. While precision medicine has traditionally been associated with high costs and limited accessibility, industry stakeholders are increasingly exploring ways to make personalized healthcare solutions available to broader populations.

In India, the push toward preventive and data-driven healthcare is creating new opportunities for genomics-led interventions across areas such as wellness, chronic disease management, fertility, and sports performance. At the same time, questions around affordability, clinical utility, data privacy, and large-scale adoption remain central to the industry's evolution.

In an exclusive conversation with Rahul Ranganathan, Chief Executive Officer of NuGenomics, we discuss the company's efforts to make genomics more accessible, the role of Indian health data in precision medicine, and the broader opportunities and challenges shaping the future of personalized healthcare.

Affordable genomics sits at the heart of NuGenomics' vision. For years, precision healthcare has largely remained out of reach for most consumers. What has changed now, and what gives you confidence that affordable genomics can become a mainstream healthcare offering in India?

Today, we are seeing the convergence of three things: the cost of genomic technologies has fallen dramatically, data science has become far more capable, and consumers are beginning to think about health proactively.

For a long time, genomics was viewed as something highly specialized and expensive. Today, we are able to combine genetic information with lifestyle, physiological, microbiome, and clinical data to create insights that are far more practical for everyday health decisions.

India is also at an important inflection point. We have a young and digitally engaged population, rising awareness of preventive health, and a high burden of lifestyle-related conditions such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular risk, and metabolic disorders. These are exactly the areas where personalized, preventive healthcare can make a meaningful difference.

Our confidence comes from seeing genomics move from a “test report” to a health intelligence layer. When insights are affordable, easy to understand, and connected to nutrition, fitness, medication response and coaching, genomics can become part of mainstream healthcare rather than a niche premium product.

As awareness around preventive healthcare grows, where are you seeing the strongest demand for genomics-led insights today, among consumers, corporates, healthcare providers, or other segments?

The strongest demand is coming from areas where people can see a direct connection between insight and action.

Among consumers, we see strong interest in weight management, metabolic health and diabetes management. We are also seeing interest rise towards age reversal and skin and hair improvement.

Corporates are another important segment. Employers are increasingly realizing that annual health checkups alone do not solve the larger problem of employee health. They are looking for precise, personalized and measurable programs that can improve well-being, reduce long-term risk, and create a healthier workforce.

Healthcare providers are also beginning to see genomics as a decision-support layer, especially in areas such as pharmacogenomics, chronic disease management and nutrition. Sports is an emerging but very exciting area, where athletes and coaches are looking at personalized recovery, injury risk, nutrition, endurance, strength, and performance optimization.

So, demand is not limited to one segment. It is strongest wherever genomics is linked to a clear outcome: better prevention, better personalization, better adherence, or better performance.

A recurring challenge in healthcare is turning health data into actionable outcomes. How do you ensure that genetic insights translate into practical interventions rather than simply becoming another health report for consumers?

This is a very important point. A genetic report by itself is not enough. The real value lies in interpretation, contextualization, and follow-through.

At NuGenomics, our approach is to combine genetic insights with other layers of information such as lifestyle, medical history, blood parameters, microbiome, physical parameters and clinical history. This helps us move from “you have this genetic predisposition” to “here is what this means for your health journey, and here are the interventions that may be relevant.”

We also focus heavily on making insights understandable. People should not have to interpret complex genetic terminology on their own. The reports have to translate data into practical recommendations around nutrition, fitness, supplementation and medication discussions with doctors.

Equally important is expert support. Genetic information should guide better conversations with healthcare professionals and health coaches; it is not meant to replace clinical judgment. Our goal is to create a pathway where the consumer receives not just information, but a structured, personalized plan that can be monitored and improved over time.

NuGenomics has spoken about building a large-scale health database combining genetic, lifestyle, physiological, and clinical information. How critical is India-specific data in advancing precision healthcare, and what gaps still need to be addressed?

India-specific data is absolutely critical. Most global genomic datasets have historically underrepresented the Indian population, despite India being one of the most genetically, culturally, dietarily, and geographically diverse countries in the world. If we rely only on Western datasets, we are building healthcare recommendations that are not fully relevant to Indian biology and lifestyle.

Precision healthcare in India needs Indian reference data across multiple dimensions: genetics, microbiome, blood biomarkers, lifestyle and food habits, environment, disease history and medication response. This is what will allow us to move beyond generic recommendations and build models that are more accurate for Indian consumers and patients.

The gaps are still significant. We need more representative datasets across regions, ethnicities, age groups, socioeconomic backgrounds, and disease categories. We also need longitudinal data, because health risk is not static; it changes with lifestyle, age, interventions, and environment. Finally, the ecosystem needs stronger standards around consent, privacy, interoperability, and clinical validation.

For us, building an India-relevant health intelligence platform is not just a data initiative. It is foundational to making precision healthcare meaningful and equitable for the Indian population.

The healthcare sector is witnessing growing interest in AI-powered decision support. How do you see artificial intelligence complementing genomics, and where do you believe it can create the greatest impact in personalized healthcare?

AI and genomics are highly complementary. Genomics gives us deep biological information, but it is only one layer of the health picture. AI helps bring together multiple layers: genetic predisposition, lifestyle patterns, clinical history, blood markers, microbiome, wearable data, and outcomes over time.

The greatest impact will come from AI’s ability to identify patterns that are difficult for humans to detect manually. For example, AI can help personalize nutrition plans, support pharmacogenomic interpretations, recommend precision interventions, and track whether an intervention is actually improving outcomes.

At NuGenomics, we see AI as the intelligence layer that can turn complex health data into clear, personalized, and continuously improving recommendations. The future is not simply genetic testing; it is adaptive, AI-enabled precision health. However, AI in healthcare must be used responsibly. It should support clinicians, coaches, and consumers, not operate as an opaque black box. Explainability and human oversight are essential.

As genetic testing becomes more accessible, discussions around data privacy and responsible use of health information are becoming increasingly important. How is NuGenomics approaching these concerns while building a large-scale health intelligence platform?

Genetic and health data are among the most sensitive forms of personal information, so privacy and responsible use must be built into the platform from the beginning.

Our approach is based on informed consent, data minimization, secure storage, controlled access, and responsible use of data only for clearly defined purposes. Consumers should understand what data is being collected, why it is being collected, how it will be used, and what choices they have.

We also believe that health intelligence platforms must separate individual-level care from population-level insights. Aggregated and anonymized data can help improve research, algorithms, and public health understanding, but individual privacy must remain protected.

Trust is fundamental in this category. Without trust, genomics cannot scale responsibly. As India’s data protection framework evolves, companies will have to go beyond just compliance and build privacy, transparency, and ethical governance into the operating model and culture of the company.

Despite growing interest in precision medicine, adoption at scale remains a challenge globally. In your view, what are the biggest barriers slowing the wider adoption of genomics-led healthcare in India today?

The first barrier is awareness. Many people still associate genomics either with ancestry testing or with rare disease diagnostics. They do not yet fully understand how genomics can support everyday health in understanding and personalizing nutrition, fitness, medication response, and chronic disease management.

The second is actionability. If a genetic test does not lead to clear next steps, consumers and doctors will not see enough value. We, as an industry, have to move beyond static reports and provide integrated care pathways.

The third is clinician and ecosystem adoption. Doctors, nutritionists, and health coaches all need to understand how to use genomics appropriately. This requires education and stronger integration with existing healthcare workflows.

The fourth and probably the most important is trust, especially around data privacy, interpretation quality, and overclaiming. Genomics is powerful, but it should be communicated responsibly. It is about risk, predisposition, and personalization, not deterministic prediction.

Finally, affordability and access remain important. For genomics-led healthcare to scale in India, solutions must be priced for wider adoption and designed for Indian realities across language, geography, and healthcare access.

Looking ahead, what are the key priorities and growth plans for NuGenomics over the next few years, and where do you see the company positioning itself within India's evolving precision healthcare landscape?

Our priority is to build NuGenomics as a leading precision health intelligence layer for India.

Over the next few years, we will focus on three areas. First, expanding access to affordable genomics-led health solutions across consumers, corporates, healthcare providers, and sports organizations. Second, strengthening our multi-layered health intelligence platform by deeper integration of genetics, lifestyle, microbiome, blood biomarkers, physiological parameters, and clinical data. Third, building deeper India-specific datasets and AI-driven decision support systems that can make recommendations more personalized, contextual, and outcome-oriented.

Our long-term vision is to make precision healthcare accessible, actionable, and mainstream. We do not see genomics as a one-time test. We see it as the foundation for a lifelong, personalized health journey, one that helps individuals, doctors, employers, and healthcare systems move from reactive treatment to proactive and precise interventions.

The ministry shared the figures during the 3rd Meeting of the Mission Steering Group, chaired by Union Health Minister JP Nadda, to review the progress of the national digital health initiative and discuss its next phase of implementation.

The Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Mission (ABDM) has created more than 93.95 crore Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts (ABHAs) and linked over 105 crore health records, making it one of the world's largest digital health ecosystems, according to the Union Health Ministry.

The ministry shared the figures during the 3rd Meeting of the Mission Steering Group, chaired by Union Health Minister JP Nadda, to review the progress of the national digital health initiative and discuss its next phase of implementation.

According to the ministry, the digital health ecosystem now includes 5.33 lakh registered health facilities and 9.85 lakh healthcare professionals on the national digital health registries. Additionally, 2.72 lakh healthcare facilities have adopted ABDM-enabled software, while nearly 24 crore Scan & Register tokens have been generated to enable faster outpatient department (OPD) registrations.

The ministry said ABDM has expanded across States and Union Territories through initiatives such as Model Districts, Model Facilities, and Aarogya Setu 2.0. It has also strengthened integration with several government health programs, including Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY, the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), the Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), and Nikshay.

During the meeting, members reviewed measures to accelerate ABDM adoption across the country and discussed proposals to expand digital health services further. The agenda also included improving interoperability between digital health platforms, promoting adoption of nationally notified digital health standards, strengthening governance mechanisms, and enhancing citizen access to healthcare services through seamless digital platforms.

According to an official statement issued by the ministry, Nadda said that while ABDM has established a strong digital health infrastructure, the next phase should prioritize wider adoption and utilization across the country.

The ministry said the focus will remain on increasing the use of ABDM-enabled services across healthcare providers while improving integration and accessibility to support digital healthcare delivery nationwide.

A statewide assessment of available space will also be conducted to identify opportunities for further bed expansion.

The Kerala government has unveiled its health department report card for the first 50 days of the new administration, highlighting hospital infrastructure expansion, workforce strengthening and medical education reforms.

Health Minister K. Muraleedharan has also announced plans to supplement government spending with corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding to improve facilities across public hospitals.

Released at the Government Medical College in Thiruvananthapuram, the report titled Fifty Remarkable Days of the Health Department outlines a series of measures to improve access to healthcare.

The minister said the department was working on the principle that treatment, medicines and hospital beds are the basic rights of every patient.

"The state govt will mobilise CSR funds, in addition to budgetary allocations, to improve infrastructure in govt hospitals," Muraleedharan said while launching the report.

To address overcrowding in public hospitals, the government has reopened previously unused wards at Pulayanarkotta Hospital, adding 200 beds.

Similar efforts are underway across government medical colleges by bringing vacant wards back into service, while new buildings are planned on already acquired land at the Kozhikode and Kottayam Government Medical Colleges.

A statewide assessment of available space will also be conducted to identify opportunities for further bed expansion.

The health department report card also details plans to deploy specialist doctors only at hospitals equipped with the required facilities, facilitate house surgeon training for Indian medical graduates who studied abroad, and simplify the registration process for nursing graduates from institutions outside Kerala.

In addition, the government has created 186 new posts under the Aardram Mission and appointed 415 doctors to strengthen healthcare delivery, while directing that all remaining vacancies be reported and filled through the Public Service Commission.

On the long-pending proposal to establish an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Kerala, Muraleedharan said the state would submit multiple site options to the Union government to avoid delays linked to location disputes.

The department has also proposed establishing an Institute of Genetics and Rehabilitation to strengthen medical education and research.

The report further highlights healthcare infrastructure projects across the state, including expansion of Wayanad Medical College using KSEB land in Mananthavady, plans for a super-speciality hospital at Madakkimala in Kalpetta, upgrades at Parippally Government Medical College, a virtual autopsy facility at Kozhikode Medical College, improved services at Thamarassery Taluk Hospital, a mobile tribal health unit at Perambra, and Wayanad's first MRI facility alongside new radiology and laboratory services.

The minister also said efforts to prevent infectious diseases, including Nipah, are continuing, while a yellow fever vaccination centre in Thiruvananthapuram is nearing completion.

The Centre of Excellence will provide robotic-assisted treatment for a broad spectrum of congenital and acquired pediatric urological conditions.

Apollo Children’s Hospital, Chennai, has inaugurated South India’s first Centre of Excellence in Pediatric Robotic Urology, strengthening its pediatric robotic surgery programme with a dedicated facility focused on minimally invasive treatment for congenital and acquired urological conditions in children.

The centre builds on a programme that has completed more than 400 pediatric robotic procedures since its launch in 2012, under the leadership of Dr V. Sripathi, Senior Consultant Pediatric Urologist and Robotic Surgeon.

Over the past decade, the programme has become one of India’s early adopters of robotic-assisted pediatric urology and has now been formalized into a dedicated Centre of Excellence.

The programme has also demonstrated the feasibility of robotic-assisted surgery in very young patients, with its smallest successfully treated patient being just 50 days old and weighing 3.5 kilograms.

The Centre of Excellence will provide robotic-assisted treatment for a broad spectrum of congenital and acquired pediatric urological conditions.

By enabling surgeons to perform complex procedures through small incisions, robotic systems can help reduce postoperative pain, minimize blood loss, shorten hospital stays, and support faster recovery when clinically appropriate.

The Centre of Excellence was inaugurated by Dr Ilankumaran Kaliamoorthy, Chief Executive Officer, Apollo Hospitals, Chennai Region, along with Dr Sushila Narayanasamy, Unit Head, Apollo Women’s & Children’s Hospitals.

The platform can also replicate disease conditions such as gestational diabetes by exposing placental cells to elevated glucose levels, enabling researchers to observe how these conditions alter nutrient transport and barrier function.

Scientists from IIT Bombay and the ICMR-National Institute for Research on Women's Health (ICMR-NIRWOH) have developed an indigenous placenta-on-chip platform that mimics the human placenta in a laboratory setting.

The device enables researchers to study how nutrients, hormones, medicines and waste products move between mother and foetus, offering a human-relevant model for pregnancy research and drug safety.

Published in the journal Biofabrication, the study describes a compact microfluidic device consisting of two chambers separated by a porous membrane.

Human placental cells and blood vessel cells are cultured on opposite sides, allowing the platform to reproduce several critical placental functions, including hormone secretion, nutrient transport, waste exchange and selective barrier activity.

The researchers have also designed the system to be simpler than many existing organ-on-chip technologies, making it easier to manufacture and adopt in research laboratories.

"Many organ-on-chip systems are powerful but often require specialised infrastructure. We wanted to develop a robust platform that could be adopted more broadly by research laboratories," said IIT Bombay's Prof Abhijit Majumder, co-corresponding author of the study.

The project was led by Dr Deepak Modi from ICMR-NIRWOH in collaboration with Prof Abhijit Majumder of IIT Bombay and maternal-foetal medicine specialist Dr Anshul Bhide.

According to the researchers, the platform can help scientists examine whether medicines cross the placental barrier, understand how they may affect the developing foetus and generate evidence that supports safer treatment decisions during pregnancy.

This is particularly important because pregnant women are often excluded from clinical drug trials, leaving limited data on medication safety.

The platform can also replicate disease conditions such as gestational diabetes by exposing placental cells to elevated glucose levels, enabling researchers to observe how these conditions alter nutrient transport and barrier function.

In the future, similar models may support investigations into pregnancy complications, including preeclampsia and foetal growth restriction, while accelerating the development of therapies designed specifically for maternal and foetal health.

As part of Siemens Healthineers’ portfolio realignment, the company has been pursuing a sale of AOI, a process first reported in May.

American Oncology Institute (AOI) has moved closer to a change in ownership as Siemens Healthineers has advanced the sale process for its oncology hospital network. The INR 1,500 Cr transaction has attracted two leading bidders and is expected to be finalized by mid-August.

One is a consortium comprising global investment firm General Atlantic and Hyderabad-based Renova Hospitals. The second is Indian-American entrepreneur Raj Mantena's Cancer Centers of America (CCA), which is also competing to acquire the oncology network.

Sridhar Peddireddy, founder of Renova Hospitals, confirmed that his group is participating in the bidding process and outlined the strategic rationale behind the proposed acquisition.

"Almost 80% of the AOI's hospitals are in places where we don't have a presence. So, it's a strategic decision for us, where General Atlantic will remain our financial partner," Sridhar Peddireddy, Founder of Renova Hospitals, said.

Siemens Healthineers became the owner of Hyderabad-based American Oncology Institute after acquiring US-based Varian Medical Systems in a $16.4 Bn deal in 2021.

While the acquisition significantly strengthened Siemens Healthineers' position in cancer care technology, the hospital operations inherited through the transaction have remained outside its core business strategy.

As part of its portfolio realignment, the company has been pursuing a sale of AOI, a process first reported in May.

American Oncology Institute has established a presence across multiple cities in India through a network of cancer hospitals and outpatient centres.

The organization offers medical oncology, radiation oncology, surgical oncology, precision diagnostics, and advanced cancer treatment technologies.

Its footprint in several underserved markets has made it an attractive acquisition target for healthcare providers seeking to expand oncology services beyond metropolitan regions.

The device, which has received a patent from the Government of India, is designed to support minimally invasive neurosurgical procedures while significantly lowering treatment costs.

The Department of Neurosurgery at AIIMS Patna has developed a patented indigenous tubular brain retractor aimed at improving the safety, precision, and affordability of deep-seated brain surgeries.

The device, which has received a patent from the Government of India, is designed to support minimally invasive neurosurgical procedures while significantly lowering treatment costs.

The innovation was conceived and led by Dr. Vikas Chandra Jha, Professor and Head of the Department of Neurosurgery at AIIMS Patna. According to the institute, the retractor can function as both a floating and a fixed tubular retractor, allowing neurosurgeons to adapt its use based on the complexity of the procedure.

The device is compatible with neuronavigation and robotic surgical platforms, enabling surgeons to achieve precision within 1–2 mm during procedures involving delicate and deep brain structures. AIIMS Patna said the technical design and clinical performance of the retractor have also been published in the peer-reviewed journal Neurosurgical Review.

Unlike conventional open brain surgery, which typically requires larger cranial openings and greater manipulation of healthy brain tissue, the newly developed retractor creates a narrow surgical corridor to access deep brain lesions. According to the institute, this minimally invasive approach can reduce surgical trauma, blood loss, and the risk of postoperative neurological complications while supporting faster patient recovery and shorter hospital stays.

AIIMS Patna also stated that the indigenous device is expected to substantially reduce the cost of minimally invasive brain surgeries. The manufacturing cost of the retractor is estimated to be 80–90% lower than that of imported alternatives. As a result, the institute estimates that the overall cost of minimally invasive neurosurgical procedures could decline by 30–40%, potentially improving access to advanced brain surgeries for economically disadvantaged patients.

The project involved contributions from neurosurgeons Dr. Nitish, Dr. Vivek Saran Sinha, Dr. Gaurav, Dr. Rahul, and Dr. Sangam, along with the Department of Anaesthesiology.

Congratulating the team, the Director of AIIMS Patna said the institute remains focused on developing affordable medical technologies that improve patient care while reducing treatment costs and surgical risks.

The foundation has also introduced an Implementer Program that enables startups, local businesses and developers from LMICs to participate in governance.

The Linux Foundation has announced the creation of the Open Health Stack Software Foundation (OHS-SF), a new community-governed organization designed to advance open-source software for digital health.

Supported by WHO, Google and a coalition of technology, healthcare and research organizations, the foundation has been created to help developers build interoperable, standards-based and AI-enabled healthcare applications while addressing health equity challenges worldwide.

Originally introduced by Google Research in collaboration with WHO in 2023, Open Health Stack offers reusable software components based on internationally recognized health standards.

Google has now transferred the entire Open Health Stack project, including its codebase and related assets, to the Linux Foundation to ensure long-term, community-led development.

Google.org has also committed a $3 Mn grant to support the foundation's growth and implementation efforts.

The foundation will focus on three core technical areas: strengthening HL7 FHIR-based digital health infrastructure, expanding the Open Health Stack Player as a cross-platform deployment toolkit, and developing AI Commons, a model-agnostic collaborative environment co-developed with WHO to support safe, transparent and verifiable AI for healthcare.

"The Open Health Stack Software Foundation brings together the global community of developers, health organizations, and implementers under a vendor-neutral, community-governed home, ensuring that the tools powering tomorrow's AI-enabled health systems are built in the open, for everyone," said Jim Zemlin, CEO of the Linux Foundation.

Google said the transition ensures that Open Health Stack evolves beyond a single organization's ownership while expanding its reach across the global digital health ecosystem.

"We built Open Health Stack because we wanted to put the developers and community health care workers serving people on the edges of care back at the center of development and give them access to world-class tools for building next-gen digital health solutions," said Kat Chou, Vice President at Google Research.

"OHS-SF makes it easier for developers everywhere to innovate on the next generation of digital health applications, and we're proud to support its long-term success," she added.

WHO will contribute technical guidance to ensure the foundation remains aligned with global health standards, including HL7 FHIR, ICD classifications and WHO SMART Guidelines.

More than 20 organizations, including Microsoft, Anthropic, PATH, OpenMRS, Medtronic Labs, Clinton Health Access Initiative and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, have expressed support for the initiative.

The foundation has also introduced an Implementer Program that enables startups, local businesses and developers from low- and middle-income countries to participate in governance without financial barriers, reinforcing its focus on inclusive and locally driven digital health innovation.

The collaboration will integrate Cortechs.ai's NeuroQuant MS quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) analysis into the Viz Neuro Suite to enhance clinical workflows and care coordination.

Artificial intelligence-powered disease detection and care coordination company Viz.ai has partnered with neuroimaging solutions provider Cortechs.ai to expand its footprint in neurodegenerative disease care, starting with multiple sclerosis (MS). The collaboration will integrate Cortechs.ai's NeuroQuant MS quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) analysis into the Viz Neuro Suite to enhance clinical workflows and care coordination.

The integration is designed to provide clinicians with quantitative MRI insights directly within Viz.ai's care coordination platform, enabling faster identification of disease progression and supporting more informed treatment decisions for patients with MS.

According to Viz.ai Chief Medical Officer Dr. Tim Showalter, multiple sclerosis is the initial focus of the Viz Neuro Suite, but the company intends to broaden its capabilities across other neurodegenerative conditions.

He said the partnership establishes the foundation for expanding into diseases where earlier detection, improved care coordination, and timely treatment can help improve patient outcomes.

Showalter noted that neurological disorders remain among the most difficult conditions to diagnose because symptoms often develop gradually, vary significantly between patients, and frequently overlap with other diseases. He added that combining quantitative MRI analysis with AI-enabled care coordination can help reduce diagnostic delays, provide more consistent interpretation of imaging findings, and accelerate specialist referrals.

The partnership also marks an expansion of Viz.ai's AI-powered care coordination platform beyond its original neurovascular focus. The company initially built its platform around stroke care before extending into specialties including cardiology and oncology. With the addition of neurodegenerative disease management, Viz.ai is applying the same AI-driven care coordination approach to another complex clinical area.

The company said additional partnerships and product announcements focused on neurodegenerative diseases are expected in the near future.

The announcement follows a series of product launches and collaborations by Viz.ai in recent months. In May, the company introduced the Viz Pulmonary Suite to support care coordination for conditions including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung nodules, and pulmonary embolisms. Earlier this year, it partnered with the National Rural Health Association to improve AI adoption in rural healthcare settings and launched Viz Agent Studio, an agentic AI platform that enables health systems to build and deploy customizable care pathways.

Founded in 2016, Viz.ai says its platform is now deployed across more than 2,000 hospitals in the United States, reaching approximately two-thirds of the country's population.

The research, led by Debarka Sengupta, Associate Dean of Innovation, Research and Development at IIIT-Delhi, combines artificial intelligence, genomics, molecular biology, single-cell analysis, and microfluidics to improve cancer diagnosis and treatment planning.

Researchers at the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi (IIIT-Delhi) have developed an AI-enabled blood test that could support affordable screening for multiple cancers and are building an AI-powered "digital twin" platform to assist oncologists in selecting personalized treatment options.

The research, led by Debarka Sengupta, Associate Dean of Innovation, Research and Development at IIIT-Delhi, combines artificial intelligence, genomics, molecular biology, single-cell analysis, and microfluidics to improve cancer diagnosis and treatment planning.

Among the key developments is an 11-gene blood test based on platelet RNA, designed to detect multiple cancers using RT-qPCR technology. Unlike genome sequencing-based diagnostics, the test can be performed on RT-qPCR machines already available across India following the expansion of molecular testing infrastructure during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Sengupta, using existing laboratory infrastructure could make large-scale cancer screening more feasible in resource-constrained settings.

The research team is also working on AI-assisted detection of circulating tumor cells in patients with triple-negative breast cancer. The approach combines molecular biology, microfluidics, and AI to identify rare cancer cells present in blood samples.

In addition to early detection, the researchers are developing AI models to predict how individual tumors may respond to different therapies. Through their startup, GeneSilico, the team is building an "Agentic Digital Twin," an AI-based virtual patient model that integrates molecular data, clinical history, tumor biology, treatment guidelines, and published scientific evidence to support clinical decision-making.

"The goal is not to replace doctors. It is to provide them with a deeper evidence layer so they can better understand which therapies appear biologically plausible and which treatment strategies have stronger scientific support," Sengupta said.

He added that AI should function as a clinical support tool rather than an autonomous decision-maker, noting that widespread adoption will require rigorous clinical validation, regulatory approval, and integration into healthcare systems.

The team plans to further validate its blood-based cancer detection technology and enhance AI models capable of predicting treatment response using genomic and clinical data. Researchers believe India's existing molecular testing infrastructure could help accelerate the deployment of affordable AI-enabled cancer diagnostics if the technologies successfully progress to clinical use.

The company plans to use the fresh capital to accelerate its digital growth strategy while expanding its community-based distribution model through women entrepreneurs.

Mumbai-based women's health startup Avni Wellness has raised INR 4 crore in a strategic funding round to expand its operations in India's growing femtech and women's wellness market. The company will use the capital to strengthen its digital commerce platform, expand its cycle nutrition portfolio, and scale its women-led microentrepreneur network to 10,000 entrepreneurs across the country.

The funding round was led by Proteus Partners, Avni Wellness' earliest institutional investor. Existing ecosystem partner Proteus was joined by operator-investors Puru Gupta and Sreejith Moolayil, former co-founders of True Elements, bringing direct-to-consumer (D2C) industry expertise. The round also saw participation from Dr. A. Velumani, founder of Thyrocare, and impact investor Somya Nigam through Bharat ke Super Founders.

Avni Wellness operates in the women's health segment, offering products focused on menstrual hygiene, cycle nutrition, hormonal wellness, and preventive care. The company said it is building an integrated health ecosystem that addresses multiple stages of women's health rather than focusing solely on hygiene products.

According to the company, India's feminine hygiene products market is projected to reach INR 70.20 billion by 2025. While the category continues to grow steadily, women's nutritional and hormonal wellness remains relatively underpenetrated, creating opportunities for preventive and science-backed healthcare solutions.

The company plans to use the fresh capital to accelerate its digital growth strategy while expanding its community-based distribution model through women entrepreneurs. It also intends to strengthen its product portfolio in cycle nutrition as demand for holistic women's health solutions continues to increase.

Avni Wellness' product portfolio includes what it says is India's first patented antimicrobial reusable sanitary pad and a liposomal iron supplement designed to improve nutrient absorption and help address iron deficiency among women.

Beyond menstrual care, the company also offers products targeting polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), calcium supplementation, urinary tract infection (UTI) and vaginal health, and seed-based hormonal nutrition, covering multiple aspects of women's health and wellness.

Located in Bibinagar near Hyderabad, the institute was launched in 2022 with an investment of over INR 1,100 crore and has since expanded its clinical, academic, and research capabilities.

Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda has recently reviewed the progress of AIIMS Bibinagar during a recent visit to Telangana, highlighting the institute's expansion across healthcare delivery, medical education, infrastructure, and research.

During the review, Union Health Minister JP Nadda announced that AIIMS Bibanagar, established under Phase-VII of the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) in 2019, has become fully operational.

Located in Bibinagar near Hyderabad, the institute was launched in 2022 with an investment of over INR 1,100 crore and has since expanded its clinical, academic, and research capabilities.

According to the health minister, the hospital currently serves around 1,800 outpatients daily and operates 250 inpatient beds, supported by advanced diagnostic equipment including CT, MRI, and DEXA scan facilities.

The institute also delivers teleconsultation services through the eSanjeevani platform across 33 districts of Telangana and provides treatment under PM-JAY and Telangana's Aarogyasri health insurance scheme.

The Union Health Minister also noted that nearly 90 per cent of patients are registered under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), supporting the adoption of digital health records and interoperable healthcare services.

Highlighting the institute's research ecosystem, Nadda stated that the institute has received INR 64 crore in competitive research funding and has published over 1,100 research papers.

The institute is also collaborating with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on the development of the carbon-impregnated leg prosthesis 'ADIDOC', reflecting its focus on translational medical research.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, infrastructure development at AIIMS Bibinagar is nearing completion, with the remaining facilities expected to further strengthen tertiary care, medical education, and research capabilities at the institute. The Radiotherapy and Operation Theatre complex is expected to be completed shortly.

Commenting on the institute’s progress, Nadda said, “The BB Nagar AIIMS, launched in 2022 with an expenditure exceeding INR 1,100 crore, has reached the stage of providing full-fledged services in just four years. Currently, it is delivering medical services to over 1,800 patients daily. To date, it has provided telemedicine services to over 1.56 lakh individuals. In addition to medical services, this institution has achieved remarkable progress in the field of research, publishing over 1,156 research papers .”

Blackstone and TPG, together with the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) and Singapore's GIC, completed the acquisition of Hologic in an $18.3 billion public-to-private transaction that officially closed in April. The deal ranked among the largest leveraged buyouts announced last year.

Private equity firms Blackstone and TPG are exploring the sale of Hologic's surgical business for more than $4 billion, according to reports, as they look to reduce debt and return capital to investors following one of the largest leveraged buyouts completed last year.

The surgical division develops medical devices used by gynecologists for minimally invasive procedures. The firms are reportedly working with financial advisers on a potential transaction that is still in its early stages and may not necessarily result in a sale. The process is expected to attract interest from both private equity firms and strategic medical technology buyers.

Blackstone and TPG, together with the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) and Singapore's GIC, completed the acquisition of Hologic in an $18.3 billion public-to-private transaction that officially closed in April. The deal ranked among the largest leveraged buyouts announced last year.

The potential divestment comes as private equity firms face mounting pressure to generate liquidity for investors after a prolonged slowdown in exits. Higher interest rates have reduced buyout activity, making asset sales and public listings increasingly important for returning capital.

Blackstone has accelerated its exit activity over the past year, reportedly monetizing nearly $50 billion in private equity investments through a combination of asset sales and initial public offerings. These included transactions involving broadband provider Hotwire, medical device manufacturer Medline Industries, and industrial services company Legence.

Neither Blackstone nor TPG has publicly commented on the reported sale process.

The potential transaction also reflects broader portfolio reshuffling across the medical technology sector. Several healthcare companies are evaluating strategic alternatives for non-core businesses. CooperCompanies has initiated a strategic review that could result in the sale of its eye surgery business, while medical technology outsourcing company Integer Holdings is also reviewing parts of its portfolio.

Despite a decline in private equity's share of global deal activity during the first half of the year, from 24.8% to 21%, healthcare remained one of the strongest sectors for mergers and acquisitions. Global healthcare deal value increased 83.2% year over year to approximately $271 billion, highlighting continued investor interest in healthcare assets despite a slower overall buyout market.

The new feature is designed to help clinicians assess the strength of evidence behind AI-generated answers in real time.

OpenEvidence has launched EvidenceGrade, a new AI-powered feature that evaluates and visualizes the quality of medical evidence supporting responses to clinical questions, alongside announcing a deployment agreement with NewYork-Presbyterian and its affiliated medical schools, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and Weill Cornell Medicine.

The new feature is designed to help clinicians assess the strength of evidence behind AI-generated answers in real time. Unlike conventional AI systems that summarize multiple sources without differentiating their quality, EvidenceGrade grades the underlying evidence to provide greater transparency during clinical decision-making.

EvidenceGrade is based on the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) framework, a globally recognized methodology used by organizations including the World Health Organization, Cochrane, and developers of major clinical guidelines to assess the certainty of medical evidence.

According to OpenEvidence, the system first determines whether a clinical question is suitable for grading before evaluating retrieved studies for quality, certainty, and relevance. It considers factors such as study design, consistency of findings, precision, and applicability to the clinical question.

The grading system assigns an "A" to evidence supported by high-quality randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, or strong clinical guidelines. A "B" reflects moderate-quality evidence with certain limitations, while "C" indicates weaker evidence, including expert opinion or studies with significant limitations. A "D" is assigned to minimal evidence, such as case reports or preclinical data, while "U" is used when evidence cannot be graded.

OpenEvidence said the feature was developed by its medical AI and machine learning teams led by physician-scientists Sam Finlayson, MD, PhD, and Travis Zack, MD, PhD, along with AI researchers Evan Hernandez, PhD, and Eric Lehman, PhD.

Separately, the company announced that OpenEvidence will be deployed across all hospitals and care sites within NewYork-Presbyterian and will also be available to clinical staff at Columbia and Weill Cornell Medicine.

OpenEvidence said more than 915,000 licensed U.S. clinicians, including over 690,000 physicians, currently use its AI-powered medical search platform. The company has also established collaborations with health systems including Mount Sinai, Sutter Health, and Cedars-Sinai as it expands enterprise adoption of its clinical AI platform.

The equipment includes ICU beds, ventilators, defibrillators, multiparameter patient monitors and an ultrasound machine.

Hyundai Motor India Foundation (HMIF), the corporate social responsibility arm of Hyundai Motor India, has invested INR 3.07 Cr to enhance the Intensive Surgical Care Unit at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) in Chennai.

HMIF has equipped the hospital with 169 advanced critical care devices under its Sparsh Sanjeevani initiative while also providing installation, commissioning and hands-on training for healthcare professionals.

The equipment includes ICU beds, ventilators, defibrillators, multiparameter patient monitors and an ultrasound machine.

The initiative is intended to improve the hospital's critical care capabilities, enabling clinicians to respond more efficiently to emergencies and provide better monitoring and treatment for patients requiring intensive medical attention.

Healthcare remains one of the foundation's priority focus areas through its Sparsh Sanjeevani programme, which works with government health institutions to improve hospital infrastructure, strengthen critical care services and expand access to quality healthcare.

The initiative currently operates across 16 states through Mobile Medical Units and telemedicine centres, extending healthcare access to underserved communities.

In Tamil Nadu, HMIF has previously supported public health facilities in Cuddalore district by providing Advanced Life Support ambulances, critical care equipment and two Mobile Medical Units.

More recently, Hyundai Motor India also announced the Hyundai Hope for Cancer programme in partnership with IIT Madras to establish India's first community-focused cancer tissue biobank.

The initiative aims to contribute to the Bharat Cancer Genome Atlas while improving access to cancer research and treatment for economically vulnerable patients, reflecting the company's broader focus on strengthening India's healthcare ecosystem beyond hospital infrastructure alone.

Info Origin and IIT Delhi aim to build AI-powered frameworks capable of analyzing complex engagement data and recommending optimized multi-channel strategies.

Info Origin, a Kansas-based AI global technology and IT consulting company, has entered into a strategic partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi to co-develop artificial intelligence-driven healthcare engagement solutions.

The collaboration has brought together the company's industry expertise and IIT Delhi's research capabilities to develop intelligent engagement systems that improve interactions with healthcare providers and contribute to better patient care.

Speaking on the occasion, Preeti Chauhan, CEO of Info Origin, reaffirmed the company's commitment to leveraging AI-led innovation to create meaningful impact across the healthcare ecosystem.

Info Origin and IIT Delhi aim to build AI-powered frameworks capable of analyzing complex engagement data and recommending optimized multi-channel strategies.

The partners intend to create intelligent systems that support more personalized and timely interactions with healthcare providers while enabling organizations to improve engagement effectiveness through data-backed insights.

The initiative will also explore the use of Agentic AI and AI-first approaches to transform healthcare engagement.

By combining autonomous decision-making capabilities with human expertise, the project seeks to improve operational efficiency, streamline engagement workflows, and support healthcare organizations in delivering more responsive services.

Its platform combines AI, population health analytics and clinical decision support to help physicians identify patients who require timely interventions, improve care quality and manage financial risk more effectively.

New York-based Pearl Health has secured $110 million in fresh funding to expand its AI-powered platform supporting Medicare providers.

The investment will help the company strengthen value-based care programs, launch new risk solutions, enter the Medicare Advantage segment, and deepen collaborations with health systems and payers across the United States.

Founded in 2020, Pearl Health develops technology that enables primary care practices to participate in value-based Medicare programs.

Its platform combines artificial intelligence, population health analytics and clinical decision support to help physicians identify patients who require timely interventions, improve care quality and manage financial risk more effectively.

The latest financing includes a $50 million equity investment led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from Viking Global Investors, AlleyCorp and Ulysses Capital.

The company has also secured a $60 million credit facility led by Trinity Capital, bringing the total funding package to $110 million.

Pearl Health's platform supports primary care physicians by analyzing patient data to identify individuals who may benefit from proactive care.

It helps identify patients with multiple chronic diseases, recent hospital admissions, or other high-risk conditions, while providing clinical recommendations and population health insights.

The platform also tracks quality measures such as annual wellness visits and hospital readmission rates, helping providers improve performance under value-based payment models.

Earlier this year, the company partnered with Accountable Health Partners, a clinically integrated network affiliated with the University of Rochester Medical Center, to standardize care coordination and help providers identify patients who would benefit from proactive outreach.

In 2024, it also partnered with MDX Hawai'i to deliver AI-driven data and insights for physicians caring for Accountable Care Organization patients.

Beyond these collaborations, Pearl Health has built partnerships with organizations including Walgreens, Wellcare, Virginia Care Partners, Synapticure and ambient AI company DeepScribe.

The company previously raised $75 million in Series B funding in 2023 after securing an $18 million Series A in 2021.

India has now issued more digital health identities than the entire population of Europe and it did this in under five years. By 2026, the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) had crossed 90 crore (900 million) Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts (ABHA), with more than 100 crore health records already linked to them. No other country has tried to build a health data system at this scale, for the diverse population, using an open, federated model instead of one centralised database. ABDM extends the same Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) approach that gave India Aadhaar, UPI, DigiLocker, and CoWIN, and applies it to one of the hardest sectors to digitise healthcare.

Most countries digitise healthcare, hospital by hospital. India has instead built an open layer that lets patients, providers, labs, pharmacies, insurers, and health-tech companies exchange data on shared rails, that distinction matters more than it sounds. Hospital-by-hospital digitisation tends to produce data islands that never quite connect to each other, which is the story of most electronic health record rollouts globally. A shared exchange layer that any provider can plug into avoids that problem from day one. For a country of over 1.4 billion people with wildly uneven levels of hospital infrastructure, that kind of interoperability isn't a nice-to-have. It's close to the only realistic path to universal digital health access.

This article discusses the structure of India’s Digital Public Health Stack, looks at its real-world application through recent case studies, explores the opportunities offered by AI and health data analytics, compares India's approach with global digital health efforts, and highlights the challenges that must be tackled to reach its full potential. The article suggests that India is not just digitizing healthcare but establishing a foundation for a scalable public digital infrastructure that could transform healthcare delivery for a billion people.

Evolution of India’s Digital Public Infrastructure

India's DPI model is built on a simple idea: open-API layers that government, business, and citizens can all build on top of, instead of everyone building their own closed systems, it built a specific kind of trust that the next layer could then borrow from. Aadhaar proved that people would trust a government-issued digital identity for authentication at national scale. UPI then proved something much harder, that citizens would trust an open, interoperable system to move money in real time, across banks and apps that had never worked together before.

DigiLocker extended that same trust from transactions to documents, people started storing sensitive personal records digitally and sharing them selectively. The Account Aggregator Framework took it a step further by making consent an explicit, revocable choice rather than a one-time checkbox. CoWIN was the turning point. It was the first time this chain of trust got tested specifically in vaccine registration, appointment booking, and certificate issuance at a speed and scale no health system had managed before. CoWIN didn't just solve a pandemic-era logistics problem. It showed that people would extend the same trust they'd built up through Aadhaar, UPI, and DigiLocker into their own health records, and that public and private providers alike would work off a shared government system when it mattered. That's the precondition ABDM needed before it could exist. By the time it launched in 2021, it wasn't really a leap of faith, it was the next step in a relationship India's citizens and institutions had already been building for a decade.

ABDM carries this logic forward directly. Just as UPI created common rails for the financial ecosystem without forcing every bank onto the same core banking system, ABDM creates common rails for healthcare without forcing every hospital onto the same EHR platform. The federation isn't a limitation, it's the whole point, and it only works because the trust needed to get people comfortable sharing health data digitally had already been earned somewhere else first.

India's digital change has been driven by the creation of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), a shared digital platform that provides secure, interconnected, and scalable public services. Instead of developing isolated digital solutions, India has created foundational digital layers that facilitate seamless interaction among governments, businesses, and citizens. The journey began with Aadhaar, which introduced a nationwide digital identity system, followed by the rollout of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in 2016. UPI changed digital payments by enabling real-time, interoperable transactions across banks and fintech apps through open APIs.

This was further supported by platforms like DigiLocker, which offers secure digital document storage, and the Account Aggregator Framework, which allows consent-based data sharing in the financial sector. The COVID-19 pandemic showcased the potential of Digital Public Infrastructure with the CoWIN platform, which facilitated digital vaccine registration, appointment scheduling, and certificate issuance for millions of citizens. CoWIN illustrated how interoperable digital platforms can support healthcare delivery on a large scale. Building on these successes, the Government of India launched the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) in 2021 to create a nationwide Digital Public Health Stack.

Unlike traditional hospital information systems, ABDM uses a federated and interoperable approach that securely connects patients, healthcare providers, laboratories, pharmacies, insurers, and digital health innovators. Just as UPI established common payment systems for the financial ecosystem, ABDM aims to create shared digital infrastructure for healthcare to enable patient-focused health services.

India’s Digital Public Health Stack

India’s Digital Public Health Stack consists of interoperable digital components that enable secure health data exchange while allowing citizens control over their personal health information. Instead of centralizing patient records, the platform enables healthcare providers to share information through standardized protocols and mechanisms based on consent.

The key components include:

Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA): ABHA gives each citizen a unique digital health ID that connects medical records across hospitals, laboratories, and healthcare providers. This allows patients to access and share their health information while keeping ownership of their data.

Health Facility Registry (HFR) and Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR): The HFR is a national database of verified healthcare facilities, while the HPR holds authenticated records of licensed healthcare professionals. Together, they enhance provider discovery, trust, and interoperability in healthcare.

Personal Health Records (PHR): The PHR system enables individuals to access, manage, and share their medical records from different healthcare providers through a single digital interface, promoting continuity of care, especially for chronic patients.

Health Information Exchange & Consent Manager (HIE-CM): A unique aspect of ABDM is its consent-based data-sharing framework. The HIE-CM allows secure exchange of health information only after obtaining explicit patient consent, ensuring privacy and enhancing interoperability.

Unified Health Interface (UHI): Often described as the "UPI for Healthcare," UHI is an open network that allows patients to find healthcare providers, schedule appointments, access teleconsultations, and use digital health services across multiple UHI-enabled applications. By removing platform-specific barriers, UHI supports innovation and improves access to healthcare services.

Together, these components create a connected and patient-focused digital ecosystem that supports efficient healthcare delivery, better care coordination, and data-driven decision-making. As adoption increases, the Digital Public Health Stack is expected to accelerate telemedicine, AI-driven healthcare, population health management, and value-based care, positioning India as a leader in digital health infrastructure.

India’s Digital Public Health Stack in Action

India’s Digital Public Health Stack has progressed from policy to real-world implementation across hospitals, state health systems, digital health startups, and telemedicine platforms. The following examples show how interoperable digital infrastructure is enhancing healthcare accessibility, efficiency, and patient experience.

Scan & Share: Simplifying Hospital Registration

Scan & Share is measurably faster, not just simpler on paper. A study by IIHMR found it cut patient waiting times at outpatient registration from around an hour down to two to five minutes. By June 2026, over 23.21 crore ABHA-linked tokens had been issued at facilities across the country. That's not a minor efficiency gain, it's close to a tenfold cut in a bottleneck that has defined the patient experience at Indian public hospitals for years.

eSanjeevani has become a genuine access equaliser, at a scale few governments have come close to. India's national telemedicine platform has now delivered over 43 crore consultations, and because it's integrated with ABHA, a remote consultation leaves behind an actual digital record instead of disappearing once the call ends. For healthcare leaders, the interesting question isn't whether telemedicine can work at scale in a resource-constrained system anymore, India has already answered that. It's how quickly other public health systems can copy the hub-and-spoke model that made it possible.

PM-JAY's digital integration is changing the economics of claims, not just the paperwork around them. Linking ABDM with the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana enables paperless insurance verification and digital patient identification, which shortens claims cycles and cuts down the administrative leakage that has made insurance-financed care costlier to run in India than it needs to be.

AI is now built into the public infrastructure itself, not added on top of it. eSanjeevani's AI-enabled Clinical Decision Support System helps doctors during teleconsultations using structured clinical data, improving triage and documentation while keeping a physician firmly in the loop.

AI-Powered Clinical Decision Support in eSanjeevani: In February 2026, the government went further and launched SAHI (Strategy for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare for India) and BODH (Benchmarking Open Data Platform for Health AI) at the India AI Impact Summit, a federated framework that lets AI models train on-site without moving raw patient data anywhere. Most health systems treat data privacy as a policy layer bolted onto AI development. This treats it as a hard architectural constraint from the start.

AI, Generative AI, and Data Analytics in Digital Health: The Digital Public Health Stack's biggest long-term value may not be the services it already runs, but what it quietly makes possible next. Because it standardises consent-based access to long-term health data, it gives India something few health systems have: a legal and technical foundation that AI tools can be trained and deployed on at population scale, without every hospital having to negotiate its own data-sharing terms from scratch.

AI in Clinical Care: Clinical AI is already helping with image analysis, risk prediction, and personalized treatment recommendations, not replacing doctors, but shrinking the gap between symptom and diagnosis.

Generative AI for Healthcare: Generative AI adds a second layer: summarising patient histories, drafting discharge summaries and referral letters, and translating dense clinical reports into language patients can actually use. Paired with ABDM-compliant records, these stop being isolated productivity tools and start becoming part of the infrastructure itself, which is exactly what SAHI and BODH are there to govern.

International Comparison

Several countries have started national digital health initiatives. However, India's Digital Public Health Stack stands out in both its structure and size.

Centralised systems like Estonia's and Singapore's work well largely because they were built for small, relatively uniform populations with mostly unified provider networks. India, like most large low- and middle-income countries, doesn't have that starting point, its hospital landscape is too fragmented across public and private providers for a single national system to realistically absorb, and forcing the attempt would leave most of the country's actual care delivery outside the system. India's federated model sidesteps that problem entirely. A five-bed rural clinic and a thousand-bed private hospital chain can both take part on their own terms, connected by a shared consent and exchange layer rather than a shared database, for any country where healthcare delivery isn't, and isn't going to become, one unified system, which is most of the world, not the exception, that's probably the more realistic route to universal digital health coverage.

Challenges and Policy Recommendations

Plenty of hospitals, especially smaller and semi-urban ones, still run on systems built before ABDM's standards existed. Sustained technical support and real incentives to migrate will determine how much of the country's actual patient volume, not just its headline facility count, is genuinely inside the network.

Digital Literacy: Adoption has clustered around digitally confident, urban populations, while older citizens and rural users remain underserved. Closing that gap needs in-person, assisted-adoption support, not just more awareness campaigns, digital literacy gaps rarely close through information alone.

Privacy and Cybersecurity: Health data carries a different kind of risk than financial data, you can't reissue a compromised medical history the way you can a bank account. Trust in the system, and its long-term adoption, hinges on rigorous compliance with India's data protection framework and ongoing investment in cybersecurity, not a one-time certification exercise.

Provider Adoption: Getting facilities registered is the easy part. The harder, more important number is active daily use by clinicians. That needs financial incentives that actually make participation worthwhile for smaller providers, simpler onboarding, and real workforce training, without which the registries stay large but underused.

Data Quality: How useful AI can be on top of this stack is bounded by the quality of the data going into it. Standardised clinical coding and disciplined documentation aren't back-office details, they're the foundation the entire AI opportunity rests on.

Future Outlook: The Next Phase of India’s Digital Health Transformation

The next phase of ABDM will probably be defined less by how many more people register and more by what gets built on top of the stack: deeper integration with wearables, genomics, and remote monitoring, and new categories like digital therapeutics starting to take shape.

Tools like ambient clinical AI, predictive analytics, and digital twin modelling are moving from research interest toward real deployment, and all of them depend on the same thing, health data that can move securely, with consent, across a federated network.

The bigger significance here goes beyond India. UPI became a reference model that other countries studied and, in some cases, adapted for their own payment systems. India's Digital Public Health Stack looks to be heading the same way, a plausible template for other low- and middle-income countries trying to build health infrastructure that's affordable and genuinely interoperable, without needing the years of centralised system-building that wealthier nations relied on.

India's Quiet Answer to Digital Health's Hardest Problem

India's Digital Public Health Stack has moved from policy ambition to infrastructure that can actually measure: over 90 crore digital health identities, more than 100 crore linked health records, tens of crores of teleconsultations, and now a governance framework, SAHI and BODH, built specifically to keep AI development inside the same consent-based, federated logic as the rest of the stack. ABHA, UHI, and the Health Information Exchange are already changing how patients find care, how providers operate, and how fast innovation moves from idea to deployment across public and private healthcare alike.

India has effectively answered the hardest question in digital health: whether a fragmented, resource-constrained system can be made interoperable without being centralised. The infrastructure exists, the adoption numbers are real, and the AI governance layer is being built in rather than bolted on later. What remains isn't a technology problem, it's an execution problem. Legacy hospitals still need to migrate. Registered clinicians need to become active users, and data quality needs to catch up with AI ambition before that ambition outruns it.

For healthcare leaders and policymakers, the opportunity isn't to watch ABDM from the sidelines. It's to decide now whether you're building on top of it or catching up to it later. Providers should treat ABDM integration as a competitive necessity, not a compliance checkbox. Investors and health-tech builders should be asking which layer of the stack, clinical AI, remote monitoring, digital therapeutics, is still open for someone to own. Other countries watching India's model should stop asking if a federated approach can scale, and start asking how soon they can adapt it for their own systems, before someone else's version becomes the default

Raghuvanshi has played a key role in strengthening Fortis Healthcare's strategic direction, expanding its healthcare services, and enhancing the organisation's overall performance.

Fortis Healthcare has reappointed Ashutosh Raghuvanshi as its Managing Director for a further term of two years. The decision was approved by the company's Board of Directors and will be effective from March 19, 2027, subject to shareholder approval.

The development was disclosed by Fortis Healthcare in a regulatory filing. The company said Raghuvanshi's current term as Managing Director, designated as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, is set to conclude on March 18, 2027.

According to the filing, the Board recommended his reappointment considering "the expertise and his role in steering the growth of the company." The company stated that the appointment will take effect from March 19, 2027, for a period of two years, subject to approval by shareholders.

Fortis Healthcare said Raghuvanshi will continue to lead the organisation as Managing Director, reflecting the company's confidence in his leadership and vision to drive sustained growth and operational excellence.

The company noted that since taking over as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Raghuvanshi has played a key role in strengthening Fortis Healthcare's strategic direction, expanding its healthcare services, and enhancing the organisation's overall performance.

The reappointment is subject to shareholder approval.

Artemis Shanti Hospital has been designed to offer advanced, patient-centric healthcare with medical expertise, technology, and comprehensive super-speciality care under one roof.

Artemis Hospitals has expanded its presence to Chhattisgarh with the opening of Artemis Shanti Hospital in Raipur. The hospital marks the entry of the Artemis healthcare network into the state.

Announcing the development through a LinkedIn post, the organisation said the new facility has been established to bring the legacy of Artemis Hospitals, Gurugram, to Raipur.

"With immense pride, we announce the opening of Artemis Shanti Hospital, bringing the trusted legacy of Artemis Hospitals, Gurugram, to the heart of Chhattisgarh," the post stated.

According to the organisation, Artemis Shanti Hospital has been designed to offer advanced, patient-centric healthcare with medical expertise, technology, and comprehensive super-speciality care under one roof.

"Designed to deliver advanced, patient centric healthcare, Artemis Shanti Hospital offers world class medical expertise, cutting edge technology, and comprehensive super speciality care all under one roof," it said.

The organisation added that the launch marks the beginning of its journey in the region with a focus on compassion, innovation, and community healthcare.

"This is just the beginning of a journey built on compassion, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to serving the community. Together, we aspire to make Artemis Shanti Hospital the preferred destination for healthcare for the citizens of Raipur and beyond," the post added.

The hospital will be equipped with advanced medical technologies, including modern imaging and diagnostic systems, modular operating theatres, and intensive care monitoring infrastructure. These facilities are intended to support efficient clinical workflows and enhance patient care delivery.

In addition, the hospital seeks to provide specialised medical services across key disciplines through dedicated Centres of Excellence, including Emergency & Trauma, Cardiology & Cardiac Services, Oncology, and Neurosciences, Orthopaedics & Joint Replacement, General, Minimal Access & Laparoscopic Surgery, Women & Child Care, Critical Care, Gastrosciences, Renal Care Services, and Transplant Services.

As per the hospital, each speciality will be supported by experienced clinicians, multidisciplinary care teams, and evidence-based treatment protocols to ensure comprehensive patient care. The emergency department will be supported by critical care infrastructure, advanced monitoring systems, and multidisciplinary specialists trained to manage complex and time-sensitive conditions.

Further, the hospital will also focus on digitally-enabled healthcare experiences that improve patient convenience, streamline consultations, and support coordinated care pathways across departments.

Authored By K. Chandrasekhar, Co-Founder & CEO of Forus Health

Avoidable Blindness is a critical global issue that is closely intertwined with an economy’s overall performance. According to a report published by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness’s Vision Atlas, about 295 million people globally are living with moderate to severe visual impairment and 33 million people are living with blindness. A major reason contributing to this is the lack of access to timely and appropriate care.

The causes of avoidable blindness can broadly be classified into two categories: clinical eye conditions and socio-economic factors. Clinical causes include conditions such as unoperated cataracts, refractive errors, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and ocular trauma. Socio-economic factors encompass challenges such as poverty, inadequate healthcare infrastructure, limited awareness, and insufficient access to screening services.

While these categories may appear distinct, they are closely interconnected. Socio-economic barriers often delay diagnosis and treatment, exacerbating clinical conditions and increasing the risk of vision loss. As a result, addressing avoidable blindness requires a holistic approach that tackles both medical and social determinants of eye health.

The Growing Role of AI & Technology in Eye Care

With the evolving landscape of the healthcare sector and the rising prevalence of both systemic and ocular diseases, leveraging AI and technology to address avoidable blindness has become increasingly imperative. Ophthalmologists and optometrists no longer rely solely on qualitative assessments; they are now supported by AI-driven insights derived from millions of clinical data points and images, enabling more informed diagnostic decisions.

Given the vast volume of data it can process, AI assists clinicians in delivering faster and potentially more accurate diagnoses by identifying subtle patterns and anomalies that may be difficult to detect through conventional assessment methods alone.

As a result, healthcare professionals are increasingly able to move beyond treating visible symptoms and focus on identifying risk factors and early indicators of disease, paving the way for timely intervention and preventive care.

Oculomics: Unlocking Insights Beyond Eye Health

Oculomics, a rapidly emerging field, is further expanding the role of the eye in healthcare by enabling practitioners to uncover insights into systemic health conditions through retinal imaging.

By facilitating earlier detection and intervention, AI has the potential to significantly reduce the costs associated with delayed diagnosis and advanced disease management-not only for patients, but also for healthcare institutions and the broader healthcare ecosystem.

Creating a Connected Continuum of Care

While individual AI technologies can contribute meaningful value independently, their greatest impact is realized when they are integrated across the continuum of care, supporting every stage of the patient journey, right from diagnosis and treatment decisions to ongoing health monitoring and preventive care. For this transformation to be truly effective, both technology and the healthcare delivery system must remain patient-centric, adapting to patient needs and behaviors. The focus should be on making healthcare more accessible, intuitive, and seamless, rather than introducing additional barriers or complexities.

Road Ahead

Timely detection and effective treatment are critical to addressing the challenge of avoidable blindness. However, this can only be achieved when AI-assisted diagnostic technologies and tele-ophthalmology services are made available at the remotest corners of society, transcending geographical and economic barriers to ensure equitable access to quality eye care.

As healthcare continues to evolve, the true measure of innovation lies not merely in advancing technology, but in extending its reach to those who need it most. By democratizing access to early detection, specialist expertise, and timely intervention, we can move closer to a future where preventable vision loss is no longer determined by where a person lives or their ability to access care.

Why 58.97% of Indian Hospitals Are Stuck in AI Pilots and What the 16.67% That Broke Through Did Differently

India’s healthcare system is currently sitting at a striking inflection point, one where technological capability, policy momentum, and institutional ambition are expanding rapidly, but hospital-level execution remains uneven and fragmented.

On one side of the spectrum, India’s digital health infrastructure is scaling at an unprecedented pace. Government-backed systems such as eSanjeevani have already recorded over 282 million consultations, with AI-assisted diagnosis supporting nearly 12 million of them. National-level AI deployments now number over a dozen active programs, while platforms like Qure.ai process clinical insights for over 15 million patients annually across more than 1,000 healthcare sites. At the policy level, the IndiaAI Mission, backed by an INR 10,371 crore allocation, signals one of the most structured public commitments to AI-led transformation in healthcare globally.

Yet, inside hospitals, the picture is far more complex.

The Healthcare AI Adoption Index (2026), covering 400+ healthcare stakeholders across providers, payers, and pharma ecosystems, highlights a critical structural gap: only 30% of AI pilots transition into production. Within hospital systems, this attrition is even sharper, with the majority of institutions trapped in repeated cycles of experimentation, validation, and stalled deployment.

This divergence raises a fundamental question not about whether AI works, but about why it fails to scale consistently inside hospitals.

The answer, as revealed through conversations with hospital CEOs, CIOs, and COOs across India, is not technical it is organizational. It sits at the intersection of leadership intent, data readiness, workflow design, clinician adoption, and outcome measurement discipline.

What emerges is not a technology gap, but a transformation gap.

To unpack this gap, we examine insights from four senior healthcare leaders who represent different operational realities across India’s hospital ecosystem.

1. AI as Strategy vs Experiment: From Hospital Leadership Lens

Across Indian hospitals, the first and most decisive divide in AI adoption begins at the leadership level. Whether AI is treated as an experimental initiative or a strategic enabler determines everything that follows: funding, adoption, workflow integration, and scalability.

Dr Deepak Guupta, CEO of Srishti Hospital, Jaipur, frames this distinction clearly from the perspective of a Tier-3 healthcare institution operating under resource constraints but with high patient demand.

Guupta said, “At Srishti Hospital, we see AI as a strategic enabler rather than an experimental technology. As a hospital serving a Tier-3 region, our responsibility is not only to adopt innovation but also to ensure that it improves access, efficiency, and patient outcomes. We evaluate AI through the lens of solving real healthcare challenges, whether it is reducing administrative burden, improving patient communication, streamlining operations, or supporting clinical decision-making. Our approach is simple: technology should augment human care, not replace it. If AI can help our doctors and staff spend more time with patients and less time on repetitive tasks, it becomes strategically valuable.”

This framing highlights a critical insight seen across scalable hospital systems: AI adoption is not driven by technological ambition but by operational necessity.

The decision to scale AI, however, is not just philosophical; it is deeply metric-driven.

He further added, “As a CEO, I look beyond the traditional financial ROI. In healthcare, the true return on investment includes operational efficiency, patient satisfaction, staff productivity, and clinical outcomes. We closely evaluate whether AI helps reduce turnaround times, improves patient engagement, enhances resource utilization, or enables our teams to deliver better care with the same resources. Another critical metric is adoption. If doctors, nurses, and administrators find the solution useful and it becomes part of their daily workflow, that is often the strongest indicator that the technology is creating value. Sustainable impact matters more than short-term gains.”

This signals a shift from cost-based evaluation to system-level outcome thinking, an essential differentiator between pilots and scaled deployments.

From a macro perspective, he reinforces that India is transitioning through phases: “I believe India is currently moving from experimentation to transformation. There is tremendous interest in AI across healthcare, but many organizations are still in the pilot stage because successful implementation requires much more than technology. It requires leadership commitment, high-quality data, process redesign, and cultural acceptance among clinicians and staff. The hospitals that have successfully scaled AI are the ones that started with a clear problem statement rather than a technology-first mindset. They focused on measurable outcomes and integrated AI into existing workflows instead of treating it as a standalone project. For hospitals in Tier-2 and Tier-3 markets, AI also presents a unique opportunity. It can help bridge resource gaps, improve accessibility, and bring capabilities that were traditionally available only in larger metropolitan healthcare systems. Over the next five years, I believe AI will become a standard component of hospital operations, much like electronic medical records are today.”

2. Infrastructure Reality: Why Technology is Not the Real Bottleneck

While leadership defines intent, infrastructure determines feasibility. However, contrary to common assumptions, CIO-level insights suggest that integration challenges are less about technology availability and more about execution discipline.

Shuvankar Pramanick, CIO, Woodlands Healthcare, RP Sanjiv Goenka Gr., challenges the notion that hospitals lack foundational systems for AI adoption.

He said, “In one word, “leadership” should be “Innovative “ in the AI era. I can give some examples where an AI-based application achieved the highest level of business outcomes. In applications like appointment optimizations and patients’ natural interactions, Bed Management, Supply Chain, Payer -Payee integrations, and Quality for Risk Identification are the most effective areas of AI applicability in Healthcare. So I don’t feel there is a GAP. The only things are the capacity and intent to do so .”

From his perspective, the issue is not structural absence but organizational intent.

On system integration, he adds: “All major hospitals are having integrations with all systems. The real problem in the data integration is MDM and transaction interruptions. MDM is entirely IT’s responsibility, whereas transaction interruption can be audited by AI tools with reference to MDM.”

This reframes integration not as a limitation but as an audit and governance challenge rather than a technical failure.

The transition from pilot to production, he argues, is often misunderstood:

“Whenever we do POC, we take a part of the use case or problem statement because we are not sure about the technology capability or the tool’s capability. Major CIOs fall into the trap of the technology knowledge GAP. They think more from a management perspective. So the functional requirement is to stay far away from the sales speech of the AI vendor. If we can reduce this, POC will be successful, I believe.”

This highlights a key structural failure point: fragmented evaluation criteria between vendors and hospital leadership.

3. Why AI Still Struggles to Move

Despite the growing momentum around artificial intelligence in healthcare, the transition from awareness to real-world execution continues to remain uneven across hospital systems. While AI is widely discussed as a solution for improving efficiency and clinical outcomes, its integration into live patient workflows still faces significant operational challenges.

Mahender Pala, Group COO, Omega Hospital, Hyderabad, highlights that one of the key gaps lies not in technology availability, but in the disconnect between strategic intent and ground-level execution.

“So what are you seeing with my experience around and the current organisation and the current units we run? We actually know the management and the team should be proactively involved to get these AI tools on board, but what I strongly feel is on the ground, not only in our hospital on the ground. People are talking too much about AI in healthcare, and people want to get an update on what the AI tools are, what they do, and all that. But when it comes to the real-time implementation, actually, it's not happening. I mean, that's my view”

According to him, current AI adoption in hospitals is largely concentrated in high-end clinical systems rather than being embedded across operational workflows.

“Because what I have seen in my hospital is that AI is used for more of a, what do you say- in high-end equipment, like, for example, we have one of the 1st of its kind, PET-MR in Asia. 1st of its kind in the country and Asia. This PET-MR is AI-based.

In such systems, AI is used as a parallel diagnostic reference, where outputs generated by the machine are compared directly with clinician assessments, especially in complex cases.

“So this AI, what they do is, for any complicated cases, they give a prompt, and the AI would give a report; in parallel, our clinicians, our implementation specialists, also write the report, so they are trying to compare how the AI has performed and what our consultants are writing.”

This structured evaluation model allows the hospital to assess AI performance measurably across multiple cases.

“That is what we are doing for the complex cases. For example, if we do 100 cases, we take the AI-generated report and the consultant-generated report. In that, we try to map how much AI is giving correct output, whether it is 80% right, 90% right, and our consultants are reviewing that.”

The hospital is also exploring academic applications of these comparative studies, with plans to convert findings into formal research output.

“Based on this, I think the plan for our relations is to publish a paper. We are in the process of doing that.”

Over time, such iterative validation is expected to improve AI accuracy as systems learn from continuous clinical feedback.

“Maybe right now it is 80% correct, but it might go up to 95%. But this exercise is helping our consultants and the machine both understand how reports are generated and at what level improvements are happening.”

Beyond diagnostic imaging, early experimentation is also being explored in therapeutic and operational areas, including AI-enabled digital pain management tools.

“We have seen an AI-based gaming option for the pain, digital pain management. So if anybody has pain after surgery, through AI and gaming platforms, the focus would be on different platforms where they cannot focus on their pain. So the pain would come down.”

However, despite such pilots, large-scale adoption remains limited due to gaps in execution readiness rather than technology availability.

“But why hasn't it been implemented? There's no reason for anybody. Because people are not keen, or management has to push, or just people are saying that we are doing a lot of things on AI, healthcare, respective operational things, but on the ground, the practice is not there”

He emphasizes that successful AI scaling will ultimately depend on leadership commitment, structured training, and consistent operational enforcement.

“Management has to go there, and they have to be very clear. Yes, we have to use AI. And people have to be trained. If that is there, I think the system would flow, and AI implementation would be very fast.”

4. Clinical Integration & Execution Lens: AI as a Strategic Transformation

Across Indian hospitals, a recurring challenge in AI adoption is the assumption that technology availability alone determines success. In reality, the ability to scale AI depends far more on whether it is treated as a standalone IT initiative or as a broader clinical and operational transformation effort.

Neelesh Shinde, Group CTO of Jupiter Hospitals, highlights that most hospitals struggle not because of technology limitations, but because of how AI is positioned within the organization.

He explains, “Most Indian hospitals are not struggling with AI because of a lack of technology; they are struggling because AI is often implemented as an IT project rather than a clinical and operational transformation initiative. Hospitals that remain in pilot mode typically focus on isolated use cases without clear ownership, workflow integration, or measurable outcomes.

He further notes that hospitals that successfully scale AI are those that anchor adoption to clearly defined operational challenges, with measurable outcomes established before deployment begins.

“The hospitals that successfully scale AI treat it as a strategic business and clinical tool. They begin with a specific operational problem, such as reducing turnaround time, optimizing workforce deployment, improving diagnostic accuracy, enhancing patient experience, or reducing energy consumption, and define measurable KPIs before deployment. Leadership sponsorship, clinician engagement, data quality, and change management become as important as the algorithm itself.”

From an execution standpoint, he emphasizes that sustainable adoption depends on how deeply AI is embedded into everyday clinical and administrative workflows, rather than being treated as a separate system.

“Managing healthcare infrastructure and operations, technology adoption succeeds when it is embedded into daily hospital workflows. The hospitals that break through pilot paralysis create multidisciplinary teams involving clinicians, biomedical engineers, facility managers, IT teams, and administrators. They focus on solving real operational challenges rather than pursuing AI for its own sake.”

Looking ahead, he believes the next phase of AI adoption in healthcare will be defined by integration quality, safety, and regulatory alignment rather than technological advancement alone.

“The next phase of AI adoption in Indian healthcare will be led not by hospitals with the most advanced technology, but by those that can effectively integrate AI into clinical, operational, and patient-care processes while maintaining safety, quality, and regulatory compliance.”

Unwrapping: The Next Phase of AI Adoption in Indian Hospitals

The conversation across hospital leadership roles reveals a clear pattern: India’s healthcare AI story is no longer about awareness or availability of technology. It is about execution maturity, ownership, and integration discipline.

Across perspectives, from CEOs and CIOs to COOs and CTOs, the message converges on one core insight: AI in hospitals fails less because of algorithmic limitations and more because of structural and operational gaps in adoption.

As Dr. Deepak Gupta, CEO of Srishti Hospital Jaipur, frames it, AI’s value is not in experimentation but in measurable healthcare improvement. He positions AI as a strategic enabler, where the real test lies in whether it improves efficiency, patient experience, and clinical outcomes within constrained hospital environments, especially in Tier-2 and Tier-3 settings.

From a technology leadership standpoint, Neelesh Shinde, Group CTO at Jupiter Hospital, underscores that the defining barrier is not infrastructure but mindset and integration design. His view reinforces that hospitals stuck in pilot mode often fail due to unclear ownership, weak workflow integration, and absence of measurable KPIs, while scaled adopters treat AI as a clinical and operational transformation lever rather than an IT deployment.

On the infrastructure and systems side, Shuvankar Parmanik, CIO of Woodland Hospital, highlights that the real constraint is not capability but execution intent. His emphasis on leadership-driven innovation and strong data architecture reflects a recurring theme across institutions: AI succeeds only when operational systems are aligned and when data challenges like MDM and transactional consistency are addressed at the core.

Meanwhile, at the operational frontline, Mahendra Pala, COO of Omega Hospitals Hyderabad, reflects the ground reality of adoption. While AI is already demonstrating strong potential in high-end diagnostic systems like PET-MR and radiation therapy platforms, as well as emerging use cases such as digital pain management, he points out that large-scale implementation still lags due to inconsistent push, limited readiness, and gaps in structured training and adoption frameworks.

What emerges collectively is a clear three-layer reality of AI in Indian healthcare:

• At the strategic level, AI is widely accepted as inevitable and valuable
• At the infrastructure level, systems and pilots are active but fragmented
• At the execution level, scalability is still constrained by workflow integration and change management gaps

The Healthcare AI Adoption Index finding, where only a fraction of pilots successfully transition into production, reinforces this disconnect. Even as national initiatives, hospital networks, and AI startups accelerate innovation, the bottleneck has shifted from creation to conversion.

Ultimately, the next phase of AI adoption in Indian healthcare will not be defined by who experiments the most, but by who operationalizes the best. Hospitals that succeed will be those that embed AI into daily clinical workflows, define clear ownership structures, align clinicians with technology decisions, and measure outcomes beyond deployment metrics.

In that sense, India is not at the beginning of its AI journey in healthcare it is at the inflection point where experimentation must evolve into system-wide execution.

The facility incorporates advanced containment technology designed to ensure safe production of highly potent oncology drugs while maintaining stringent quality and safety standards.

Ciro Pharma has inaugurated India’s first integrated oncology manufacturing facility in Hyderabad after investing INR 800 Cr, marking a significant expansion in the country's cancer drug manufacturing capabilities.

The facility has been designed to manufacture multiple oncology formulations under one roof while supporting employment generation and strengthening Telangana’s pharmaceutical ecosystem.

The facility is located at Biotech Park Phase III in Genome Valley, Hyderabad’s life sciences district, an area that has emerged as one of India's leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical clusters.

The new manufacturing unit was inaugurated by IT and Industries Minister Sridhar Babu Duddilla.

Built with an investment of INR 800 Cr, the plant is equipped to manufacture oral oncology medicines, sterile injectables, lyophilised powder injections, and soft gel capsules.

It also incorporates advanced containment technology designed to ensure safe production of highly potent oncology drugs while maintaining stringent quality and safety standards.

Besides supporting skilled workforce development by creating around 500 direct jobs in its initial phase, the project is expected to contribute to India's pharmaceutical exports by increasing the domestic manufacturing of specialised cancer therapies for global markets.

Speaking at the inauguration, Sridhar Babu Duddilla, Minister of Information Technology, Electronics, Communications, Industries & Legislative Affairs in the Telangana government, reiterated the state's long-term vision for the sector.

"Our government is committed to making Telangana a global life sciences innovation hub by promoting world-class manufacturing, research, AI-driven healthcare, sustainable green pharma, and high-value investments that generate quality employment and drive inclusive economic growth," he stated.

Telangana has steadily attracted investments in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices, and healthcare innovation through dedicated industrial policies and infrastructure.

Genome Valley today hosts hundreds of life sciences companies, research institutions, and manufacturing facilities serving both domestic and international markets.

Enlife also plans to begin filing patents over the next nine to 18 months, covering biomarker binders, diagnostic assays and its detection platform.

Bengaluru-based deep-tech biotech startup eNLife Research has secured INR 6 Cr in seed funding led by Piper Serica to accelerate the development of its AI blood test for Alzheimer's.

The newly raised capital will support validation of the company's blood biomarker platform, expansion of its research and development team, and advancement of its first diagnostic assay from prototype to clinical-grade validation.

eNLife has been advancing a blood-based diagnostic platform that aims to identify the disease up to 15 years before symptoms emerge, making early detection more accessible and affordable for the Indian population.

Founded by Dr Deepak Kumaran Nair, Professor at the Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Lt. Col. Jojo Jacob and former CAMS Finserv CEO Anish Mathew, eNLife Research is developing an AI blood test that analyses biomarkers linked to Alzheimer's, including amyloid beta and abnormal tau proteins.

The startup currently studies five to seven biomarkers and plans to expand the panel to between 25 and 100 biomarkers to improve detection of Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Enlife also plans to begin filing patents over the next nine to 18 months, covering biomarker binders, diagnostic assays and its detection platform.

"The biggest failure of Alzheimer's care today isn't the absence of treatments in trials; it's that we find patients a decade too late to use them. Every diagnostic model the world has built so far was designed on Western cohorts, at hospital price points that don't work for India. We started Enlife to close both gaps at once: detect the disease at the molecular stage, far ahead of the symptomatic stage, and do it through a simple blood draw that is both accessible and affordable," Nair said.

The startup said artificial intelligence has enabled researchers to evaluate a much larger number of molecular candidates while reducing both development time and cost.

According to Lt. Col. Jojo Jacob, the startup has already demonstrated proof of concept and is currently integrating its research into a unified diagnostic platform. The technology is currently between Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3 and 4.

"What previously took months of laboratory work can now be partially simulated using AI. It allows us to evaluate many more molecular candidates while significantly reducing both the time and cost involved," Jacob said.

eNLife plans to commercialise the platform through partnerships with hospital chains, diagnostic laboratories and pharmaceutical companies, enabling clinical deployment while supporting drug discovery and research.

The startup is also collaborating with researchers from IISc, the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Hyderabad, and the Centre for Brain Research (CBR), Bengaluru, to build India-specific biomarker datasets.

The combined organisation is expected to benefit from greater economies of scale, improved procurement efficiencies, expanded research capabilities, and a broader sales network.

Torrent Pharma has officially completed the merger of Mumbai-based J.B. Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals, marking the final stage of one of India's largest pharmaceutical consolidation deals.

The merger became effective after the company filed the certified copy of the NCLT order and the approved scheme with the Registrar of Companies, enabling both businesses to operate as a single entity.

The acquisition was first announced as part of Torrent Pharma's strategy to strengthen its position in the branded pharmaceutical market.

Following the implementation of the scheme, J.B. Chemicals has been dissolved without undergoing a separate winding-up process.

Its assets, liabilities, employees, contracts, manufacturing facilities, businesses, and other operational responsibilities have automatically transferred to Torrent Pharma.

The company's Memorandum of Association has also been amended to reflect the revised share capital following the amalgamation.

The completion of the merger allows Torrent Pharma to immediately begin integrating J.B. Chemicals' established brands, manufacturing network, distribution channels, and commercial operations.

J.B. Chemicals has built a strong presence in several therapeutic segments while also maintaining an extensive domestic distribution network and an international footprint.

The combined organisation is expected to benefit from greater economies of scale, improved procurement efficiencies, expanded research capabilities, and a broader sales network.

The merger also strengthens Torrent Pharma's presence across key therapy areas, including cardiovascular care, diabetes, central nervous system disorders, gastrointestinal diseases, and anti-infective medicines.

With manufacturing facilities across India and operations spanning more than 40 countries, the company is expected to enhance its ability to serve a wider patient population while improving operational integration across its businesses.

The state has already generated 5.86 crore ABHA IDs, registered thousands of healthcare providers, and expanded digital OPD services through the Scan and Share facility.

Madhya Pradesh has strengthened the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) to expand digital healthcare access across the state, with a renewed focus on connecting citizens in remote regions through an integrated digital health ecosystem.

The state has already generated 5.86 crore ABHA IDs, registered thousands of healthcare providers, and expanded digital OPD services through the Scan and Share facility.

Reviewing the progress of the mission, Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla said the state is committed to building a connected digital health ecosystem that delivers faster, transparent and quality healthcare services.

"The objective of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission is to develop an integrated and interconnected digital health ecosystem in the country. Through this mission, citizens are being provided with a unique digital health identity -- the ABHA ID enabling them to securely access and share their health records," Shukla said.

To accelerate adoption, he directed officials to speed up the registration of government and private healthcare facilities, along with doctors, nurses, dentists, AYUSH practitioners and other healthcare professionals.

He also emphasized strengthening training programmes, providing technical assistance and maintaining regular monitoring to ensure effective implementation.

"Our priority is to ensure that every citizen, including those living in remote areas, benefits from digital healthcare. Technology should make health services more accessible, efficient and transparent," Shukla said.

According to Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission CEO Arvind Kumar Shah, Madhya Pradesh has generated nearly 5.86 crore ABHA IDs.

The state has also registered around 20,000 healthcare facilities under the Health Facility Registry and nearly 18,000 healthcare professionals under the Health Professional Registry.

Officials said the HPR is creating a verified digital directory of licensed healthcare professionals, while the HFR is bringing hospitals, clinics, laboratories, pharmacies and wellness centres onto a common digital platform to support seamless healthcare delivery.

The state has also expanded the Scan and Share service to 533 healthcare facilities, where more than 1.07 crore digital OPD tokens have been issued.

PB Health also plans to integrate digital services such as app-based registration, digital billing, treatment tracking, medication reminders and post-discharge care.

PB Health has outlined plans to establish a network of 500 hospitals across India through acquisitions, operations and management (O&M) agreements, and asset-light partnerships.

Supported by a recent $ 215 Mn fundraise and while planning to raise another round of capital, the company is expanding beyond insurance distribution to create a healthcare delivery model aimed at improving claims management, pricing transparency and patient experience.

PB Health plans to own or directly operate around 150 to 200 hospitals, while the remaining facilities will be added through O&M arrangements and asset-light partnerships.

PB Health has already begun establishing its footprint in the Delhi-NCR region. A 240-bed hospital in Noida is operational, while another facility in Gurugram is expected to begin operations soon.

During the first phase, the company plans to develop five to six hospitals in the region, creating a combined capacity of nearly 1,200 beds over the next two years.

Management has also informed investors that the company is in advanced discussions for raising another round of capital, despite utilising only a portion of the funds already raised.

The additional investment is expected to support the rapid expansion of its hospital network and technology-led healthcare services.

Alongside its owned facilities, PB Health is developing a preferred hospital ecosystem under the PB Care+ brand, allowing patients to access partner hospitals with a more streamlined treatment and insurance claims process.

Some partner hospitals may also be brought under the company's operational management through O&M agreements, helping expand its reach efficiently.

The company says its hospitals will prioritise transparent pricing, faster discharge processes, dedicated insurance claims assistance and reduced unnecessary medical procedures.

Doctors will receive fixed salaries rather than revenue-linked incentives, while patient satisfaction will form an important part of performance evaluation.

PB Health also plans to integrate digital services such as app-based registration, digital billing, treatment tracking, medication reminders and post-discharge care, aiming to build a technology-enabled healthcare model that strengthens trust between patients, hospitals and insurers.

Badrinarayan has served as its Group Chief Financial Officer for the past two and a half years and brings over 15 years of financial leadership experience across reputed healthcare organisations.

Maxivision Super Speciality Eye Hospitals has appointed Badrinarayan Srikanth as its Group Chief Executive Officer. The company announced the leadership appointment through a LinkedIn post, stating that he has transitioned to the role from Group Chief Financial Officer.

According to Maxivision, the appointment is a strategic step aimed at strengthening the organisation's long-term growth. Badrinarayan has served as its Group Chief Financial Officer for the past two and a half years and brings over 15 years of financial leadership experience across reputed healthcare organisations.

"Mr. Badrinarayan's transition from Group Chief Financial Officer is a deliberate, strategic step forward for the business. Having successfully executed this role at Maxivision for the past two and a half years backed by over 15 years of financial leadership at other reputed organizations his proven capability to lead the senior management team, deliver organisational growth and maintain financial stability is well established," the company said.

Maxivision added that his understanding of the organisation's operations, culture and long term ambitions positions him to lead the company in its next phase of growth.

The company said the appointment reinforces its focus on clinical governance and excellence while keeping patient care at the centre of its operations. It also highlighted plans to strengthen engagement with doctors and employees while pursuing expansion opportunities across its network of more than 90 facilities operating in six states across South and West India.

"With Mr. Badrinarayan as the Group CEO, we are sharpening our focus on clinical governance and excellence, keeping patient care at the heart of everything we do. At the same time, we will concentrate on building deeper engagement with our doctors and employees, whilst capitalising on the significant expansion opportunities ahead for our network," the company stated.

Prior to becoming Group CEO at Maxivision, Badrinarayan served as the company's Group Chief Financial Officer. Over the course of his career, he has also held senior finance leadership roles at SPARSH Hospital, Starcare Hospital and Kauvery Hospital, leading financial strategy and supporting organisational growth across multiple healthcare institutions.

According to the report, India's medical device exports reached $4 billion in the financial year ending 2025, reflecting the growing international demand for cost-effective medical technologies developed by Indian companies.

India's medtech market opportunity could reach $35 billion by 2030, supported by expanding healthcare demand, rising exports, and increased investor interest, according to a new report by Bain & Company.

The report, Building Global Champions: The Asia-Pacific Region's Next Medtech Wave, identifies India as the Asia-Pacific region's "access-led innovator," highlighting the country's ability to develop affordable and scalable medical technologies for resource-constrained healthcare settings that are increasingly gaining global acceptance.

According to the report, India's medical device exports reached $4 billion in the financial year ending 2025, reflecting the growing international demand for cost-effective medical technologies developed by Indian companies.

The report projects India's healthcare demand to exceed $320 billion over the next few years, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10–12%. This expansion is expected to create significant opportunities for the medical technology sector as healthcare providers increasingly adopt advanced diagnostic, monitoring, and treatment solutions.

The study was developed by Bain & Company in partnership with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Enterprise Singapore, JPMorgan, SG Growth Capital, and the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB).

Across the Asia-Pacific region, medtech demand is projected to reach $132 billion by 2030, growing at an annual rate of 6.9%, outpacing the global market, according to the report.

The report also noted a shift in investor sentiment toward India's medtech sector. Medtech's share of overall healthcare investment increased from less than 10% before 2024 to 15–20% during 2024 and 2025, indicating growing confidence in companies developing higher-value medical technologies.

"India's medtech ecosystem is gaining strategic importance among investors, with medtech's share of healthcare investment increasing from less than 10% prior to 2024 to 15-20% over 2024 and 2025, underscoring growing confidence as the sector shifts towards higher-value innovation," said Dhruv Sukhrani.

He added that as India expands beyond basic medical devices into more advanced technologies, the focus will be on building globally scalable medtech businesses capable of competing in international markets.

According to a July 2 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the attacker accessed certain cloud-based business applications, including internal patient management systems, document storage platforms, and some external electronic health record (EHR) system portals.

Home medical equipment provider AdaptHealth has disclosed that patient data was stolen in a recent cyberattack after a threat actor gained unauthorized access to the company's systems through a social engineering attack targeting a third-party contractor.

According to a July 2 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the attacker accessed certain cloud-based business applications, including internal patient management systems, document storage platforms, and some external electronic health record (EHR) system portals.

The company said the incident resulted in the exfiltration of data, including certain personally identifiable information (PII), protected health information (PHI), and stored password files associated with insurance billing.

AdaptHealth stated that it does not collect Social Security numbers in the affected systems and does not store financial account or payment card information on the compromised platforms.

The company said it has not yet determined the full scope of the affected datasets or the volume of data that was stolen. An investigation is ongoing with the support of external forensic experts.

According to the SEC filing, the incident has been contained. AdaptHealth said it has taken steps to reduce the risk of further dissemination of the stolen data, including disabling the compromised user account, resetting affected credentials, and implementing additional access controls.

The company determined on June 27 that the incident was material due to "the nature and potential volume of the data that is at risk." The threat actor had informed AdaptHealth on June 15 that data had been taken from its systems.

AdaptHealth, which supplies home healthcare equipment such as CPAP devices, continuous glucose monitors, and insulin pumps, said the cyberattack has not had a material impact on its operations or its ability to continue serving patients.

However, the company said it is still assessing the financial implications of the breach, including remediation and response costs, legal and regulatory obligations, notification requirements, and potential reputational impact. AdaptHealth added that it maintains cybersecurity insurance that may cover certain losses related to the incident.

The disclosure comes amid a series of cybersecurity incidents affecting the medical technology sector. Companies including Stryker, Intuitive Surgical, Medtronic, and iRhythm have also reported cyberattacks in recent months, highlighting continued cybersecurity risks across the healthcare and medtech industry.

The institute will bring together more than 50 faculty members, 750 trainees, and six academic schools to translate research into real-world patient care.

UC San Diego Health has launched the Institute for Applied Health Intelligence, a new initiative designed to integrate artificial intelligence research with clinical care and accelerate the adoption of AI-enabled healthcare solutions. The institute will bring together more than 50 faculty members, 750 trainees, and six academic schools to translate research into real-world patient care.

According to the university, the institute will work across the School of Medicine, Jacobs School of Engineering, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Rady School of Management, Halıcıoğlu School of Data Science and Computing, and the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science in collaboration with UC San Diego Health.

UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep Khosla said the institute aligns with the university's strategy of fostering collaboration across disciplines to advance education, research, and patient care.

The institute will be led by Dr. Amy Sitapati, Lawrence S. Friedman Professor of Population Health at the UC San Diego School of Medicine. She said the initiative is intended to connect research and clinical care by integrating expertise across the university's academic and healthcare ecosystem.

UC San Diego said the institute will focus on three strategic areas: implementation leadership, training and education, and innovation, outcomes, and research. These efforts will support large-scale digital transformation, develop future health intelligence professionals through degree and certificate programs, and advance AI-enabled personalized medicine and population health analytics.

The institute will also leverage resources from the San Diego Supercomputer Center and the Division of Biomedical Informatics to support the deployment of AI technologies in clinical environments. Additional collaborations will include the Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion, the Center for Healthcare Cybersecurity, and the Jacobs Center for Health Innovation.

Dr. John Carethers, vice chancellor for health sciences, said advances in computational capabilities and biological science are creating new opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration across engineering, medicine, business, and data science.

The launch reflects a broader trend among academic medical centers investing in AI implementation. Similar initiatives include the Center for AI and Human Health at Mount Sinai Health and the American Medical Association's Center for Digital Health and AI, both established to accelerate responsible AI adoption in healthcare while supporting clinicians and improving patient outcomes.

Patty Maysent, CEO of UC San Diego Health, said the institute aims to address the challenge of translating innovation into routine clinical practice, with a focus on reducing clinical variation and preventable harm through data-driven care.

The Gurugram-based hospital chain, which filed its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in June, is awaiting regulatory approval to launch the public issue.

Paras Healthcare Ltd plans to increase its bed capacity by approximately 36% to 3,011 beds by March 2028 from 2,211 beds as of March 31, 2026, as it pursues an expansion strategy focused on North India while preparing for its proposed Rs 1,800 crore initial public offering (IPO).

The Gurugram-based hospital chain, which filed its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in June, is awaiting regulatory approval to launch the public issue.

According to the draft papers, Paras Healthcare will add a 300-bed hospital in Gurugram during FY27 and a 500-bed facility in Ludhiana in FY28. Both hospitals will be developed under long-term lease arrangements as part of the company's asset-light expansion strategy.

Operating under the Paras Health brand, the company currently runs eight hospitals across five states and one Union Territory. It said its expansion strategy prioritizes markets with low hospital bed density, limited access to advanced tertiary and quaternary care, and improving economic fundamentals.

Paras Healthcare said its growth plans are driven by financial return thresholds, balance sheet strength, and disciplined capital deployment. As of March 31, 2026, the company reported capital expenditure of Rs 7.63 million per bed, reflecting its focus on optimizing capital investment while expanding capacity.

The company follows a hybrid operating model that combines owned and leased facilities. Six of its eight hospitals operate from leased premises, while the network also includes revenue-sharing arrangements, long-term leases, and a public-private partnership (PPP) model.

Its hospital infrastructure is designed to improve capital efficiency through optimized clinical-to-non-clinical space ratios, a higher proportion of shared rooms, compact administrative spaces, and outsourcing of non-core services such as laundry and transportation.

Specialty services including cardiac sciences, oncology, neurosciences, gastro sciences, orthopedics and sports injury, and renal sciences accounted for 74.7% of the company's revenue from operations in FY26, up from 71.92% in FY25 and 72.34% in FY24.

The proposed IPO comprises a fresh issue of equity shares worth up to Rs 500 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) of shares worth up to Rs 1,300 crore. The company plans to use proceeds from the fresh issue to repay certain borrowings, invest in its wholly owned subsidiary PMHPL for debt repayment, and meet general corporate purposes.

Beyond patient care, the institute will also focus on research, education, and structured training for spine surgeons.

Aster CMI Hospital Bengaluru has launched the Aster Robotic Institute for Spine Excellence (ARISE), a dedicated centre designed to strengthen robotic-assisted spine surgery through advanced clinical care, research, education, and surgeon training.

According to the hospital, the institute has been established to support patients with complex spine disorders while also creating opportunities for innovation and evidence-based advancement in spine surgery.

Beyond patient care, the institute will also focus on research, education, and structured training for spine surgeons.

The hospital expects this integrated approach to contribute to the wider adoption of robotic-assisted spine surgery while encouraging collaboration between clinicians, researchers, and technology specialists working in neurosciences.

Dr Uma Nambiar, CEO of the Indian Institute of Science Medical School Foundation, Chairperson of the DHIndia Association, and Member of the Digital Health News (DHN) Leadership Council, attended the launch event.

Dr Ravi Gopal Varma, Director, Aster Global Centre of Excellence in Neurosciences and Lead Consultant, Neurosurgery, Aster CMI Hospital, Karnataka, said, "The launch of ARISE marks a defining milestone in our journey to transform spine care in India. Through ARISE, we aim not only to deliver world-class robotic spine care but also to become a centre for innovation, research, and education that will contribute to the advancement of neurosciences globally."

Commenting on the initiative, Dr Prashanth N, CEO, Aster Hospitals, Karnataka, said, "At Aster, we continuously invest in technologies and centres of excellence that redefine patient care. The launch of ARISE reflects our long-term vision of making advanced robotic spine surgery accessible while strengthening Bengaluru's position as a destination for world-class neurosciences care.”

“We remain committed to delivering innovative, patient-centric healthcare through clinical excellence and technology," he added.

According to the hospital, ARISE further expands its neurosciences services by integrating specialist expertise, robotic technology, research, and education to deliver more precise treatment options for patients requiring complex spine procedures.

With the addition of the second Da Vinci Xi Surgical System, Apollo CVHF Hospital now operates two dedicated Centres of Excellence for robotic cardiac surgery.

Apollo CVHF Hospital has launched Gujarat’s first dedicated Robotic Cardiac Surgery Unit by installing a second Da Vinci Xi Robotic Surgical System, expanding its capacity to perform minimally invasive heart surgeries.

The Da Vinci Xi platform provides surgeons with high-definition three-dimensional visualisation and highly articulated robotic instruments that offer greater dexterity inside the body.

Speaking at the launch, Dr Sameer Dani, CEO & Director, Apollo CVHF Hospitals and Director, Department of Cardiology, Apollo Hospitals Ahmedabad, said, "As cardiovascular disease continues to rise, investing in advanced technology alongside experienced clinical expertise remains central to improving patient outcomes and setting new standards in cardiac care."

The hospital's robotic cardiac surgery programme, led by Dr Sudhir Adalati, Senior CVTS Surgeon, has already completed more than 75 robotic cardiac surgeries.

With the addition of the second Da Vinci Xi Surgical System, Apollo CVHF Hospital now operates two dedicated Centres of Excellence for robotic cardiac surgery.

Also present during the launch was Cdr. Jelson Kavalakkat, Chief Executive Officer, Apollo Hospitals Ahmedabad, said, "Apollo Hospitals has consistently invested in technologies that improve clinical outcomes while enhancing the patient experience.”

“The launch of Gujarat’s first dedicated Robotic Cardiac Surgery Unit reflects our continued commitment to combining world-class technology with specialised clinical expertise, making globally benchmarked care more accessible to patients across the region," he added.

The move has strengthened the hospital’s robotic cardiac surgery programme and increased access to advanced cardiac procedures for eligible patients across Gujarat and neighbouring states.

The proposed fundraising is expected to support capacity expansion and strengthen the company's position in India's rapidly growing medical devices market.

Kotak-backed Pune-based Medtech company, Biorad Medisys, is reportedly in discussions to raise INR 400 Cr through a private funding round to accelerate its expansion plans while simultaneously laying the groundwork for a potential initial public offering (IPO) that could seek around INR 1,500 Cr.

The fundraising is expected to establish a valuation benchmark ahead of the company's proposed public market debut.

The proposed fundraising is expected to support capacity expansion and strengthen the company's position in India's rapidly growing medical devices market.

Biorad Medisys has appointed Grant Thornton, a multinational professional services firm, to advise the ongoing private fundraising process. The company is expected to raise around INR 400 Cr at an estimated valuation of approximately INR 10,000 Cr.

Sources also indicated that the company is monitoring market conditions before formally moving ahead with its public listing plans.

It has reportedly engaged CLSA India, ICICI Securities, and Nuvama as advisors for the IPO process.

The company has attracted investor interest in previous funding rounds as well.

In 2024, Biorad Medisys secured INR 400 Cr from Kotak Strategic Situations India Fund II, while DMI Finance Group exited its investment during the transaction.

Earlier, healthcare-focused private equity firm InvAscent completed its exit from the company after holding its investment for seven years.

Established in 2000 by Suchitra Hegde and Jitendra Hegde, Biorad Medisys develops and manufactures medical devices across orthopaedics, urology, and gastroenterology. Its portfolio includes orthopaedic implants for knee and hip replacement procedures, along with surgical disposables used across healthcare settings.

The company currently operates manufacturing facilities in Pune and Bengaluru. It also began operations at a new greenfield manufacturing facility dedicated to its Indovasive business in Bengaluru in March 2025, further strengthening its production capabilities.

The features include automated image capture, anatomical landmark detection, real-time image quality assessment and fetal biometry.

Chennai-based pathology and diagnostic provider Aarthi Scans & Labs and US-based AI healthtech startup Origin Medical have expanded their five-year collaboration to advance AI-Enabled Prenatal Ultrasound, aiming to improve the quality, consistency and accessibility of prenatal imaging.

The partnership has developed AI-powered tools that support radiologists and fetal medicine specialists with faster, standardised and clinically validated prenatal assessments.

The collaboration has brought together Aarthi Scans & Labs and Origin Medical Research Lab India, the research and development arm of Origin Medical, to develop artificial intelligence solutions for maternal-fetal imaging.

Over the past five years, the partners have created and validated technologies designed for high-volume clinical environments, helping clinicians deliver more reliable prenatal ultrasound examinations while improving workflow efficiency.

The AI-Enabled Prenatal Ultrasound platform developed through the collaboration supports several stages of the ultrasound workflow, including automated image capture, anatomical landmark detection, real-time image quality assessment and fetal biometry.

The technology also provides instant feedback to help clinicians capture all required anatomical views in line with international practice guidelines, while automated fetal measurements are intended to improve consistency across different centres.

“Prenatal ultrasound plays a critical role in monitoring fetal development and enabling timely clinical decisions during pregnancy. However, ensuring consistency and quality in fetal imaging across high-volume and diverse healthcare settings continues to be a challenge,” said Dr Arunkumar Govindarajan, Radiologist and Executive Director, Aarthi Scans & Labs.

He added that the collaboration with Origin Medical Research Lab is focused on closing this gap through clinically validated AI solutions that support specialists in delivering more standardised and accurate prenatal assessments, with the broader objective of improving access to high-quality maternal healthcare in a rapidly growing market like India.

“Aarthi Scans & Labs has been one of our first and foundational partners from day one, and their clinical rigour, scale and commitment to innovation have been central to the progress we have made in AI-driven prenatal imaging,” said Sripad Krishna Devalla, co-founder and CEO of Origin Medical.

According to the organisations, multiple studies have demonstrated strong performance in identifying complete fetal anatomy, including the fetal central nervous system, highlighting the technology's potential to strengthen routine anomaly detection.

Beyond research, the collaboration seeks to establish a long-term partnership ecosystem by engaging state governments, technology developers, and implementing organizations throughout the year.

The World Health Organization South-East Asia Regional Office (WHO SEARO) has partnered with the Max Institute of Healthcare Management (MIHM) at the Indian School of Business (ISB) to accelerate responsible AI adoption for health across the region.

The Max Institute of Healthcare Management at the Indian School of Business is an interdisciplinary centre that focuses on strengthening health systems through research, leadership development, and policy engagement.

Its work spans healthcare delivery, public-private partnerships, and evidence generation to support informed health policy and improved outcomes.

The new collaboration builds on WHO SEARO's ongoing efforts to strengthen digital health governance across Member States and is expected to provide countries with practical tools, stronger evidence, and institutional capabilities needed to scale responsible AI adoption for health across the region.

The two-year collaboration has brought together research, policy support, implementation science, and capacity building to help countries move artificial intelligence from pilot projects to practical, sustainable use in healthcare systems.

The agreement will run for an initial two-year period from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2028.

The collaboration is designed to address three major barriers limiting AI implementation in health systems: the lack of practical guidance for government decision-makers, limited capacity to implement and evaluate AI technologies, and fragmented collaboration between governments, innovators, researchers, and healthcare institutions.

As part of the initiative, the partners will develop a structured decision-making framework that will help policymakers evaluate whether AI solutions are operationally suitable for different clinical settings in low- and middle-income countries.

The framework will be validated using both previously deployed AI solutions and technologies being considered for future implementation.

It will also align with WHO's ongoing normative work, including outputs from the WHO working group on the Clinical Evaluation of AI for Health, before being released as a global public good.

The agreement also focuses on generating real-world evidence through implementation studies that examine operational feasibility, health system integration, clinical decision-making, and user behaviour.

These studies will include both short-term pilot projects and longer-term evaluations designed to measure sustained improvements in clinical and health system outcomes.

The scientific findings will be made publicly available and submitted for peer review in collaboration with WHO SEARO.

Beyond research, the collaboration seeks to establish a long-term partnership ecosystem by engaging state governments, technology developers, and implementing organizations throughout the year.

Moreover, through workshops and training programmes, government officials, along with relevant academic and civil society stakeholders where appropriate, will receive guidance on AI governance, planning, budgeting, and responsible implementation.

The initiative also aims to help state governments identify areas where artificial intelligence can deliver the greatest value within existing health programmes.

The proposed agreement includes a $700 million purchase price and an additional $250 million in capital investments over the next 10 years, surpassing competing offers from HCA Healthcare and Optum.

Ascension has been selected to acquire Tennessee-based independent health system Williamson Health in a proposed transaction valued at nearly $1 billion, following a unanimous vote by Williamson Health's Board of Trustees.

The proposed agreement includes a $700 million purchase price and an additional $250 million in capital investments over the next 10 years, surpassing competing offers from HCA Healthcare and Optum. The board will now work with Ascension to finalize a non-binding letter of intent, which will require approval from the Williamson County Commission before moving forward. The transaction is expected to close in 2027 or 2028, subject to regulatory approvals.

Ascension Saint Thomas, Ascension's Tennessee affiliate, has committed to maintaining all current clinical services for at least 10 years, retaining all employees for a minimum of one year, and providing comparable compensation. The health system also plans to modernize Williamson Health's electronic health record platform, continue charity care services, preserve community programs, and pursue existing clinical partnerships with regional providers.

Williamson Health President and CEO Phil Mazzuca said the proposed acquisition would provide the long-term capital needed to invest in the organization's workforce, technology, facilities, and services while preserving its existing culture.

The acquisition covers Williamson Health's entire network, including Williamson Medical Center—the only acute care hospital in Williamson County—and more than 30 healthcare facilities employing over 2,400 people.

According to Williamson Health, proceeds from the transaction will first be used to retire outstanding debt, cover transaction costs, and address other closing liabilities. Any remaining funds will be allocated by the Williamson County Commission.

The board began evaluating strategic options in spring 2024 after determining that while Williamson Health remained financially stable, anticipated industry challenges—including reimbursement pressures, demographic shifts, and regulatory changes—could result in operating losses beginning in 2028. The organization estimated it would require an additional $30 million in annual capital investment over the next five to ten years to meet its long-term operational goals.

Williamson Health evaluated proposals from 28 health systems and considered acquisition offers from Ascension and HCA Healthcare, along with an outsourcing partnership proposed by Optum. Although HCA matched Ascension's $700 million offer, it committed $210 million in future capital investments, compared with Ascension's $250 million. Optum's proposal did not include acquisition proceeds and required substantial upfront investments.

Ascension Saint Thomas currently operates 18 hospitals and more than 350 care sites across Middle Tennessee, while its parent organization manages approximately 120 hospitals nationwide. The proposed Williamson Health acquisition follows Ascension's recent $3.9 billion acquisition of AmSurg, further expanding its healthcare portfolio.

The acquisition aims to strengthen Novartis’ oncology pipeline and advance targeted cancer therapies with new payload mechanisms.

Novartis has entered into an agreement to acquire Myricx Bio, a privately held UK biotechnology company developing a new class of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) using N-myristoyltransferase inhibitor (NMTi) payloads. The acquisition aims to strengthen Novartis’ oncology pipeline and advance targeted cancer therapies with new payload mechanisms.

Under the terms of the agreement, Novartis will pay $1.1 billion upfront, along with up to $400 million in potential milestone payments. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

Myricx Bio’s technology focuses on NMT inhibitor payloads designed to deliver cancer-killing activity directly to tumour cells through ADCs. The platform is intended to address limitations associated with existing ADC payload classes, including topoisomerase-1 (TOPO-1) inhibitors, particularly in resistant tumour models.

The company is developing two lead ADC programmes targeting B7-H3 and HER2, with potential applications across multiple solid tumour indications. Preclinical studies indicate that NMT inhibition may disrupt essential cellular processes involved in cancer cell growth and survival, including in models resistant to current ADC payload approaches.

“ADCs have become an important part of cancer treatment, but there remains a clear need for new payload mechanisms to overcome resistance and expand their impact for patients,” said Fiona Marshall, president of biomedical research at Novartis.

The acquisition would provide Novartis access to Myricx Bio’s NMTi payload platform and the opportunity to explore the technology across additional targets and ADC programmes if clinical validation is achieved.

ADC therapies combine antibodies that recognise specific tumour markers with cytotoxic payloads designed to kill cancer cells. The development of new payload mechanisms remains a key focus area in oncology research as companies seek to improve treatment responses and address resistance challenges.

Novartis’ oncology portfolio spans solid tumours, haematological cancers and radioligand therapies. The company continues to invest in targeted treatment approaches and drug discovery platforms aimed at developing new cancer therapies.

The proposed acquisition of Myricx Bio adds another platform to Novartis’ oncology research efforts, expanding its focus on next-generation targeted drug conjugates.

Muraleedharan briefed the Union Minister on Kerala's progress under various health programmes, highlighted key initiatives undertaken by the state, and outlined areas where additional support from the Centre would help accelerate implementation.

Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare J. P. Nadda has chaired a high-level virtual review meeting with Kerala Health Minister K. Muraleedharan to assess the implementation of key national health programmes and review the state's public healthcare priorities.

Discussions centred on strengthening healthcare delivery through improved access to medicines and diagnostic services, expanding health infrastructure and workforce capacity, enhancing medical education, and reinforcing drug and blood bank regulation across the state.

Muraleedharan briefed the Union Minister on Kerala's progress under various health programmes, highlighted key initiatives undertaken by the state, and outlined areas where additional support from the Centre would help accelerate implementation. He reaffirmed the state's commitment to working closely with the Centre to achieve national health priorities.

Nadda acknowledged Kerala's efforts and assured continued support from the Government of India to strengthen the state's healthcare ecosystem. He also underscored the importance of Centre-State collaboration in improving health outcomes and ensuring effective implementation of national health programmes.

The meeting concluded with both governments reaffirming their commitment to strengthening public health systems and delivering accessible, affordable, equitable, and quality healthcare.

The review meeting was attended by senior officials from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Government of Kerala, the National Health Mission, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), including Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava, NHM Mission Director Aradhana Patnaik, Dr. Rajeev Raghuvanshi, Drugs Controller General of India, and Amit Sharma, Executive Director, FSSAI.

The collaboration aims to combine MIT Koch Institute’s research capabilities with Abu Dhabi’s artificial intelligence infrastructure and life sciences ecosystem to address oncology challenges, including climate-health factors and population-specific cancer research needs.

The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) has entered into a strategic collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research to advance artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled oncology research. The partnership will focus on developing cancer research programs through clinical studies, shared biobanks, workforce training, and startup innovation initiatives.

The collaboration aims to combine MIT Koch Institute’s research capabilities with Abu Dhabi’s artificial intelligence infrastructure and life sciences ecosystem to address oncology challenges, including climate-health factors and population-specific cancer research needs.

As part of the partnership, DoH and the Koch Institute will develop and implement multi-institutional clinical trials and research studies. The organizations will also establish shared research databases and biobanks to support population-focused cancer research and contribute to MIT’s Bioconvergence Cancer Alliance.

The initiative will promote bioconvergence research, which integrates AI, biology, engineering, and computational sciences to accelerate the development of advanced diagnostics and therapies.

The partnership will also include initiatives to build healthcare expertise at the intersection of AI, computational biology, and oncology. These efforts will involve physician-scientist fellowships, exchange programs, and joint educational opportunities aimed at developing future healthcare professionals in emerging fields of cancer research.

Additionally, the collaboration will establish a bioconvergence incubator to support startups through mentorship and investment opportunities, with a focus on advancing innovations in oncology and precision medicine.

“We believe addressing complex health challenges requires collaboration across disciplines, sectors and geographies and are delighted to welcome our new collaborators in Abu Dhabi to the Alliance,” said Dr. Matthew Vander Heiden, director of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT.

AI is increasingly being used in cancer research to accelerate drug discovery, identify therapeutic targets, analyze genomic data, and support personalized treatment strategies. Researchers are also leveraging AI models to understand complex biological processes, including protein structures linked to disease development.

A 2023 study published in Nature highlighted that AI systems developed by Google DeepMind could predict three-dimensional protein structures from amino acid sequences with high accuracy, helping researchers better understand cancer-related proteins and design targeted therapies.