Technology is reshaping healthcare in India, creating both opportunities and challenges. At a recent roundtable event titled “Amrit Arogya: AI for Health, Healing, and New Horizons in Care,” organized by Prosus in partnership with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), experts discussed the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in transforming India’s healthcare sector. The discussion focused on how AI can help create jobs and promote inclusivity across the country.
The roundtable was co-chaired by Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Chair of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation and former Chief Scientist at the World Health Organisation, along with Mr. Rentala Chandrashekhar, Chairman of the Centre for the Digital Future.
This event is part of a broader series called “AI for All: Catalysing Jobs, Growth, and Opportunity,” which serves as a lead-up to the India AI Impact Summit 2026 scheduled to take place in Delhi.
India’s healthtech market is expected to reach $50 billion by 2033 due to rapid adoption of AI technologies, internet-connected devices, and digital platforms. The use of telemedicine has increased significantly since the pandemic as more than 750 million people now have internet access. However, panelists emphasized that technology alone does not define progress; rather, innovation should aim to improve healthcare access in smaller cities where disparities are most pronounced.
“AI’s real promise lies not just in diagnostics or automation, but in democratizing access to quality healthcare while creating millions of new jobs. The goal is to reimagine India’s healthcare ecosystem – enhancing outcomes, not replacing people,” said co-chair Mr. Rentala Chandrashekhar.
Speakers at the event argued that instead of causing job losses, AI is opening up new employment opportunities such as roles related to diagnostics platforms and digital training tools—especially outside major urban centers. For example, companies like SigTuple are training technicians from smaller towns on how to use advanced diagnostic equipment powered by AI.
“Healthcare in India doesn’t need fewer people; it needs empowered people. AI can free our doctors from repetitive tasks, enable real-time multilingual support for patients, and help scale affordable care to every corner of the country,” said Mr. Abhishek Singh, CEO of the India AI Mission.
Shri Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha from the Ministry of AYUSH added: “AI will not replace jobs—it will enhance systems and create new opportunities across diagnostics, research, and digital wellness.”
Technological advances have improved early detection rates for diseases such as tuberculosis and cancer by up to 70%. With growing smartphone usage even in smaller cities, telemedicine services supported by AI are reaching populations that previously had limited access to care.
However, panelists also pointed out persistent barriers including unreliable internet connections or electricity supply in some regions as well as limited digital literacy among rural health workers. Co-chair Dr. Soumya Swaminathan cautioned: “AI should not be a substitute for care—it should be a supplement. The measure of success is not the number of algorithms we build, but the health outcomes we improve.”
Participants agreed that collaboration between public agencies and private firms will be essential for scaling affordable solutions nationwide. Government programs like Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) aim to unify health records through privacy-focused digital profiles for millions across India.
Integration between insurance aggregators or healthtech firms with national databases could streamline claims processing while companies such as PayTM or Practo contribute cloud-based patient records or diagnostic tools connecting rural clinics with larger networks.
Dr. R.S. Sharma stated: “India sits on a treasure trove of health data—from Ayushman Bharat to NHA databases… We must unlock this potential through privacy-by-design frameworks and a federated architecture that ensures security while enabling innovation.”
Ensuring data privacy remains critical; organizations like ICMR are developing evaluation frameworks so that new technologies meet standards around safety and equity before widespread adoption takes place.“ICMR is developing an AI evaluation framework to certify health tech solutions based on safety, efficacy, and equity,” said Dr. Garima Jain from ICMR.
A proposal was made during discussions for establishing a National AI Health Mission involving both government bodies and private stakeholders.“At Prosus our belief is simple—when innovation is inclusive growth becomes sustainable,” remarked Sehraj Singh Managing Director Prosus India.“Through this partnership with MeitY we aim to help India define what a truly human-centric AI future can look like for the world.”
Panelists concluded that while there are significant hurdles ahead—including concerns about privacy ethical deployment infrastructure limitations—the combination of technology skill-building partnerships could make Indian healthtech an example globally.
