India AI Impact Summit 2026

ai-in-healthcare-for-india

6 min read

TRACK:Safe and Trusted AI
SPEAKERS
  • Dr Catharina Boehme, WHO-SEARO
  • Dr Sunil Kumar Barnwal, National Health Authority
  • Mr Kiran Gopal Vaska, National Health Authority
  • Ms Punya Salila Srivastava, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
  • Prof. Manindra Agrawal, IIT Kanpur
  • Shri J P Nadda, Government of India
SESSION OVERVIEW

In this session, the Hon'ble Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Shri J P Nadda shall launch two important health AI initiatives: Strategy for AI in Healthcare (SAHI) and Benchmarking Open Data Platform for HealthAI (BODH). SAHI defines governance and implementation pathways across health systems. BODH, developed by National Health Authority with IIT Kanpur, enables evaluation of AI models on diverse world datasets before population scale deployment. Together, these initiatives support trustworthy innovation

VIDEO RECORDING

AI in Healthcare for India

Abstract

The session marked the official launch of two cornerstone initiatives for Indian health‑AI: the Strategy for AI in Healthcare (SAHI) and the Benchmarking Open Data Platform for Health‑AI (BODH, branded “Gold”). Senior government leaders outlined a vision of AI‑enabled, equitable, and trustworthy health services, detailing SAHI’s five‑pillar framework, governance principles, and implementation roadmap. The benchmarking platform, built by IIT Kanpur in partnership with the National Health Authority, was introduced as a federated, secure environment for third‑party evaluation of AI models on real‑world Indian health data. International perspectives from WHO and national academic expertise complemented the launch, followed by formal unveiling of the strategy booklet and platform demo, concluding with a vote of thanks.

Detailed Summary

  • The event began with a series of token‑of‑gratitude presentations from National Health Authority (NHA) staff to dignitaries: Minister J P Nadda, Union Health Secretary, Dr Catharina Boehme, and the IIT Kanpur Director.
  • This segment set a ceremonial tone and highlighted the collaborative nature of the launch, involving NHA, the Ministry, WHO, and IIT Kanpur.

2. Ministerial Context‑Setting (by Mr Kiran Gopal Vaska –≈8 min)

  • Purpose Statement: India is poised to transition from digital health foundations (ABDM, interoperable records) to “intelligent, evidence‑based” AI applications.
  • Historical Analogy: Electricity → Internet → AI as the next general‑purpose technology.
  • Key Message: Success will be measured not by laboratory‑grade models but by trusted, safe, scalable systems deployed across districts and communities.
  • Infrastructure Emphasis: The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) provides a “federated, consent‑based” data rail essential for responsible AI.

3. Presentation of SAHI – Strategy for AI in Healthcare (by Dr Sunil Kumar Barnwal –≈30 min)

3.1 Rationale for a Dedicated Health‑AI Strategy

  • Existing national AI strategy is sector‑agnostic; health‑AI demands unique ethical, safety, and equity safeguards.
  • The strategy is named SAHI (Strategy for AI in Healthcare for India).

3.2 Development Process

  • Four nationwide workshops (Vijayawada, Delhi, Siliguri, IIT Bombay) engaged clinicians, tech firms, state governments, and policy makers.
  • Draft document was iteratively refined “sentence‑by‑sentence” with stakeholder feedback.

3.3 Vision Statement (quoted verbatim)

“Enable safe, ethical, evidence‑based and inclusive use of artificial intelligence across India’s healthcare system, leveraging digital public infrastructure and institutional strength to drive responsible innovation, expand access to high‑quality, affordable care, improve health outcomes, and position India as a global leader in responsible AI for healthcare.”

3.4 Alignment with METI AI‑Governance Principles

PrincipleHow SAHI Addresses It
TrustEmphasis on safety, validation, and transparent evaluation
Person‑Centred“Patient at the centre” repeated throughout
Innovation over restraintEncourages responsible scaling, not stifling research
Fairness & equityTargets reduction of inequities in access
AccountabilityCalls for clear liability frameworks
Understandable by designPromotes explainability of AI tools
Safety, resilience, sustainabilityEmbeds robust governance and lifecycle management

3.5 Five Pillars & Themes

  1. Governance, Regulation & Trust – risk‑based oversight, cross‑sector coordination.
  2. Health & Data‑Driven Digital Infrastructure – data quality, integrity, lifecycle governance.
  3. Workforce, Institutional Capacity & Change Management – training, capacity‑building, adoption workflows.
  4. Research, Innovation & Evidence Generation – ecosystem for collaborative R&D, clinical validation.
  5. Ecosystem for Population‑Scale Deployment – mechanisms to scale AI safely, positioning India as a leader in the Global South.

3.6 Expected Outcomes

  • Public‑value driven AI adoption, stronger health‑system performance, equitable impact, responsible innovation ecosystem, continuous learning health systems, and trust‑based governance.

3.7 Next Steps

  • Detailed guidelines to be published on the Ministry website; implementation workshops and stakeholder engagements forthcoming.

4. Benchmarking Open Data Platform (BODH / “Gold”) – Technical Overview (by Prof Manindra Agrawal –≈12 min)

  • Problem Addressed: Health data are fragmented across many small providers and subject to strict privacy regulations; model developers need diverse, up‑to‑date data for training and evaluation.
  • Solution Architecture: A federated platform that aggregates data securely, allowing AI models to be sent to the data for on‑site training, without exposing raw patient data.
  • Incentive Mechanism: Data owners receive credits for contributing updated datasets, encouraging continual data refresh.
  • Third‑Party Evaluation: The platform provides independent benchmarking of AI solutions on real‑world Indian health data, ensuring coverage, reliability, and openness—the “AI trilemma.”
  • Pilot Successes: Demonstrated benchmarking for diabetic retinopathy, cataract detection, and bone‑age estimation in a recent hackathon.

5. WHO Perspective (by Dr Catharina Boehme) –≈5 min

  • Highlighted AI’s potential to save lives in healthcare if deployed responsibly.
  • Stressed the need for governance, systematic implementation, alignment with public‑health priorities, and the importance of whole‑of‑government and whole‑of‑society approaches.
  • Commended India’s “first‑in‑region” comprehensive AI‑for‑health strategy and pledged WHO support for operational planning, standards development, workforce training, and knowledge exchange.

6. Keynote Address – Ms Punya Salila Srivastava, Secretary, Ministry of Health (≈10 min)

  • Re‑iterated India’s digital journey: Digital India (2015) → National Digital Health Blueprint (2017) → Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (2020).
  • Cited concrete AI applications already in use: TB risk prediction, vulnerable‑population mapping, diabetic retinopathy screening, tele‑medicine assistance, outbreak surveillance.
  • Positioned SAHI as a long‑term policy commitment, providing a common framework for Union and State governments, public and private sectors.
  • Emphasized that safe, reliable, effective AI tools will accelerate integration into public health and clinical systems.
  • Called for whole‑society collaboration to realize the vision of “AVIKSID Bharat” (self‑reliant India).

7. Formal Launch of SAHI & “Gold” Platform (≈8 min)

  • Unveiling: Minister J P Nadda physically opened the SAHI booklet and the platform demo screen.
  • Launch Films: Short videos explained the strategic intent of SAHI and the operational concept of the benchmarking platform.
  • Key Messages from the Films:
    • SAHI aims to benefit 1.4 billion Indians by ensuring AI is safe, fair, and inclusive.
    • “Gold” enables trusted, third‑party evaluation of AI models before population‑scale deployment, enhancing transparency and equity.
  • Ministerial Remarks (Shri J P Nadda): Highlighted AI as an “engine of transformation” for health, underscored the necessity of robust testing (Gold), and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to trust, ethics, and public benefit.

8. Closing Vote of Thanks (by Sri Vikram Pugaria, Director ABDM, NHA) –≈5 min

  • Expressed gratitude to the Union Minister, Secretary Srivastava, Dr Boehme, Prof Agrawal, and the entire organizing team.
  • Recognised the contributions of NHA staff, India‑AI Mission, and the technical committee that oversaw SAHI’s development.
  • Announced a group photograph of dignitaries and committee members to commemorate the event.

Key Takeaways

  • Strategic Milestone: India officially launched SAHI, a dedicated national strategy for AI in healthcare, and BODH (“Gold”), a federated benchmarking platform for health‑AI models.
  • Five‑Pillar Framework: Governance, digital infrastructure, workforce capacity, research‑innovation, and ecosystem for population‑scale deployment guide AI implementation.
  • Ethical Foundations: SAHI aligns with METI’s AI‑governance principles—trust, patient‑centredness, fairness, accountability, explainability, and safety.
  • Federated Data Solution: The benchmarking platform allows model training on sensitive health data without exposing raw records, solving privacy‑vs‑access challenges and incentivising data contribution.
  • Real‑World Applications Already in Use: AI is already supporting TB risk prediction, disease mapping, diabetic retinopathy screening, tele‑medicine, and outbreak surveillance in India’s public health system.
  • WHO Endorsement: WHO SEARO pledged support for operationalizing SAHI, including standards, training, and knowledge exchange.
  • Government Commitment: Minister J P Nadda reiterated AI as a “transformational engine” for health and promised ongoing policy, regulatory, and financial backing.
  • Call to Action: Stakeholders—state governments, private innovators, academia, and civil society—are urged to adopt SAHI’s guidelines, contribute data to the benchmarking platform, and collaborate on responsible AI solutions.
  • Future Roadmap: Detailed implementation guidelines, further stakeholder workshops, and continuous monitoring mechanisms will be released on the Ministry’s website in the coming weeks.

Prepared from the verbatim transcript of the AI in Healthcare for India session at the India AI Impact Summit, Delhi (24 Feb 2026). All speaker attributions reflect the provided speaker list and contextual cues from the transcript.

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