India’s Digital Health Ecosystem Supports Scalable Healthcare
Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava has highlighted India’s growing use of digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to improve healthcare. Speaking at an event in New York titled “Grounding the Frontier: A Global South AI Framework,” she explained how India’s digital health infrastructure could offer useful lessons for other developing countries.
Srivastava said India’s digital health journey has been supported by major technology platforms, beginning with Aadhaar, the country’s digital identity system. The development of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) and ABHA IDs has further strengthened the country’s digital healthcare infrastructure.
The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission is designed to create a connected digital health ecosystem. Through the system, individuals can create an ABHA account and use it to connect their health records across participating healthcare providers and platforms.
According to Srivastava, this digital foundation has helped India build a healthcare network that can operate at a large scale. Connecting different parts of the healthcare system can make it easier to manage health information and improve coordination between patients, doctors and healthcare institutions.
She also discussed the growing role of artificial intelligence in healthcare. AI can be used in areas such as analysing health information, supporting medical decision-making, improving disease surveillance and helping healthcare systems manage large amounts of data.
The Health Secretary focused particularly on the needs of countries in the Global South, where healthcare systems often face challenges such as limited resources, shortages of healthcare professionals and difficulties in reaching people in remote areas.
India’s experience with digital public infrastructure, she said, provides examples of how technology can be developed and deployed at a large scale. Digital systems can help countries improve access to healthcare while also making better use of available resources.
The discussion in New York also highlighted the importance of developing AI systems that are suitable for local needs. Countries in the Global South have different populations, healthcare structures and challenges, making it important to design technology that can work within their specific circumstances.
India’s digital health initiatives have therefore become part of a wider discussion about how technology can support healthcare development. The combination of digital identity, health accounts, connected health records and AI could provide new ways to improve healthcare delivery.
Srivastava’s remarks highlighted India’s efforts to use technology not only to expand its own healthcare infrastructure but also to share experiences with other developing nations. The discussion placed digital health and responsible AI at the centre of efforts to build more accessible and connected healthcare systems across the Global South.