Nadda Launches SAHI and BODH to Advance Responsible AI in Healthcare

Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda today launched two pioneering digital health initiatives — SAHI (Secure AI for Health Initiative) and BODH (Benchmarking Open Data Platform for Health AI) — at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, marking a major milestone in India's journey toward safe, ethical and evidence-driven adoption of Artificial Intelligence in healthcare.

The launch underscores India's commitment to building a trustworthy, inclusive and globally competitive Health AI ecosystem, rooted in innovation, accountability and public trust.

AI Must Be Built on Strong Digital Foundations: Nadda

Describing the Summit as timely and necessary, Shri Nadda emphasised that AI cannot operate in isolation and requires robust digital infrastructure and high-quality data.

Recognising this early, India began laying its digital foundations nearly a decade ago through the Digital India programme launched in 2015 under the leadership of the Hon'ble Prime Minister.

The Minister noted that the health sector aligned strongly with this national vision.

The National Health Policy 2017 envisaged an interoperable, inclusive and scalable digital health ecosystem, which was further strengthened through the launch of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) in 2020, establishing a digital public architecture for healthcare.

SAHI: National Roadmap for Secure and Ethical AI in Health

Referring to the launch of SAHI, Shri Nadda described it as more than a technology initiative.

"SAHI is not merely a technology strategy but a governance framework, policy compass, and national roadmap for responsible AI in healthcare," he said.

SAHI will guide India in leveraging AI in a manner that is:

• Ethical

• Transparent

• Accountable

• People-centric

• Secure and interoperable

The initiative provides a structured framework for collaboration between government, industry, academia and innovators, ensuring that public interest remains paramount as AI adoption accelerates.

AI Transforming Pharmaceuticals and Life Sciences

The Minister also highlighted AI's transformative role in pharmaceuticals and life sciences, noting that AI-driven tools can:

• Accelerate drug discovery

• Shorten research timelines

• Enhance clinical trial precision

• Improve cost-effectiveness of R&D

• Strengthen affordable healthcare delivery

BODH: Benchmarking Platform to Validate AI Before Scale Deployment

Highlighting the importance of rigorous evaluation, Shri Nadda underlined that AI solutions must be tested for real-world readiness.

Developed through collaboration between government and academia, BODH provides a structured mechanism to test and validate AI tools before deployment at population scale.

Together, SAHI and BODH represent India's commitment to ensuring AI systems are reliable, clinically relevant and aligned with national public health priorities.

Health Secretary: Trust, Safety and Accountability Must Remain Central

Union Health Secretary Smt. Punya Salila Srivastava stated that under the Prime Minister's leadership, India has made tremendous strides in leveraging technology for inclusive and efficient governance.

She noted that SAHI reflects a long-term policy commitment, offering a common framework for:

• Union and State Governments

• Private sector partners

• Healthcare institutions

to guide AI evaluation, adoption and integration.

She added that BODH will ensure AI tools used by clinicians are safe, reliable and validated against real-world parameters.

"Trust, safety and accountability must remain central to India's health AI journey," she said.

WHO Commends India's Leadership in Digital Health Innovation

Dr. Catharina Boehme, Officer-in-Charge, WHO South-East Asia Regional Office, commended India's leadership, noting that India is among the first countries to adopt a national AI strategy for health.

She said the strategy strengthens healthcare delivery, improves decision-making and expands services to underserved populations.

"Innovation must strengthen systems, expand access and build trust," she emphasised, highlighting India's whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach.

SAHI Framework: Governance Hub for Secure and Trustworthy Health AI

SAHI has been conceptualised as a comprehensive framework promoting AI solutions that meet rigorous standards of:

• Safety

• Efficacy

• Ethical compliance

• Patient data protection

• Algorithmic accountability

It will also serve as a knowledge-sharing and governance hub, supporting best practices in health AI development and implementation.

BODH Platform: Real-World Data Benchmarking for AI Models

BODH, developed by IIT Kanpur in collaboration with the National Health Authority, enables systematic evaluation of AI models using diverse, anonymised real-world datasets.

It will assess:

• Performance and robustness

• Bias and fairness

• Generalisability

• Clinical relevance

By institutionalising benchmarking standards, BODH aims to ensure AI tools are deployment-ready and aligned with India's health priorities.

Building India's Future-Ready Health AI Ecosystem

The launch of SAHI and BODH reflects India's forward-looking vision of integrating digital innovation with public health priorities.

These initiatives are expected to foster responsible innovation while reinforcing trust in AI-enabled healthcare solutions.

The event witnessed participation from senior officials, premier academic institutions, healthcare professionals, AI innovators and industry stakeholders.