Health Ministry Showcases AI-Powered Digital Health Scale at India AI Impact Summit 2026

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare today hosted a high-level panel discussion on "Scaling AI for Public Health Impact: Public-Private Partnership" as part of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, underscoring India's ambition to deploy Artificial Intelligence at population scale for inclusive healthcare delivery.

The Government of India is hosting the Summit from 16–20 February 2026, marking the first-ever global AI summit to be held in the Global South. The event brings together world leaders, policymakers, industry experts, academia and innovators to explore AI's transformative potential, with a strong focus on inclusive and sustainable development.

As a key participating Ministry, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is playing a central role through policy deliberations, initiative launches and live demonstrations of AI-enabled healthcare solutions at its dedicated exhibition stall.

India's Digital Health Journey: From Records to Intelligent Systems

Delivering the keynote address, Union Health Secretary Smt. Punya Salila Srivastava said India's health system has moved beyond basic digitisation toward building a nationally interoperable digital health ecosystem.

She recalled that the National Health Policy's vision of achieving the highest attainable standard of health for all citizens was operationalised through the National Digital Health Blueprint, anchored in:

• Open standards and interoperability

• Privacy-by-design

• Adoption of emerging technologies including Generative AI

ABDM at Scale: 859 Million ABHA Accounts, 878 Million Health Records

Highlighting the scale of India's health digital public infrastructure, she noted that the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) has evolved into a robust national platform.

Key milestones include:

• 859 million ABHA accounts created

• 878 million health records linked digitally

• Over 1.80 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs operational, integrating digital platforms into primary care

e-Sanjeevani: World's Largest Primary Healthcare Telemedicine Programme

The Health Secretary described e-Sanjeevani as a flagship example of AI-enabled public health scale-up.

Powered by AI-assisted Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS), the platform has delivered:

• 449 million teleconsultations

• Support from 2.2 lakh registered healthcare providers

She said this makes e-Sanjeevani the world's largest telemedicine initiative in primary healthcare.

AI as an Enabler, Not a Replacement

Emphasising the human-centric role of AI, Smt. Srivastava noted:

"Digital systems capture and transmit information, while AI enables intelligent interpretation and action."

She stressed that AI can reduce workforce burden while strengthening — not replacing — the physician–patient relationship.

Examples of AI use cases highlighted include:

• MadhuNetrAI for diabetic retinopathy screening

• AI-enabled handheld X-rays

• Acoustic screening tools such as Cough Against TB (CA-TB)

• AI-integrated surveillance systems for faster epidemic alerts

She also cited Centres of Excellence for AI in healthcare established at:

• AIIMS Delhi

• PGIMER Chandigarh

• AIIMS Rishikesh

NHA: AI to Strengthen Efficiency, Transparency and Fraud Detection

Dr. Sunil Kumar Barnwal, CEO of the National Health Authority, said AI can significantly enhance efficiency and enable faster, data-driven decision-making in large-scale public health programmes.

He highlighted AI's role in:

• Beneficiary identification

• Claims management

• Fraud detection

• Monitoring service utilisation

• Improving accountability and system performance

He underlined the need for interoperable digital platforms supported by strong data governance and privacy safeguards.

Public-Private Partnerships for Health AI Scale

The panel brought together representatives from government, industry, multilateral organisations and startups to discuss scaling AI innovations for public health impact.

Discussions focused on:

• Predictive analytics

• Early disease detection

• Telemedicine expansion

• Health data management

• Real-time programme monitoring

Ministry Showcase at India AI Impact Expo

The Ministry is showcasing its digital health and AI initiatives at Stall No. 1.63 and 1.64, Hall 1, Bharat Mandapam, including:

AI-Powered Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS)

A multilingual patient assistance form enabling structured symptom capture and supporting accurate clinical decision-making.

BODH Platform for Trustworthy Health AI

BODH (Benchmarking Open Data Platform for Health AI), developed by IIT Kanpur with NHA, enables evaluation of AI models on diverse real-world datasets before population-scale deployment.

The platform will be formally launched on 17 February 2026 by Union Health Minister Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda.

Voice-to-Text Digital Prescription Model

An AI tool converting doctors' speech into digital prescriptions integrated into HMIS workflows.

AI Media Surveillance for Outbreak Alerts

An early warning system designed to generate disease outbreak signals through media monitoring.

AI for Viksit Bharat @2047

Union Health Secretary reaffirmed that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, India's emphasis on Digital Public Infrastructure as a tool for inclusion and equity continues to guide the country's AI and digital health journey, aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047.

The Ministry's engagement at the Summit signals India's growing commitment to leveraging responsible AI to strengthen public health systems and deliver accessible, affordable and quality healthcare for all.