- Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India
Ms Punya Salila Srivastava, Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India
Dr Sunil Kumar Barnwal, CEO, National Health Authority, India
Prof. Manindra Agrawal, Director, IIT Kanpur
Distinguished representatives of the Government of India
Excellencies
Members of the AI and health community
Partners and Colleagues
Today marks an important milestone in the evolution of digital health in India.
With the launch of the Strategic Framework for AI in Health, India is charting a clear and deliberate path for how artificial intelligence will serve public health - responsibly, safely, and at scale.
AI is already influencing how health systems operate: improving diagnostics, strengthening surveillance, accelerating research, and supporting more efficient service delivery. The question before us is no longer whether AI will shape health systems - but how it will be governed, implemented, and aligned with public health priorities.
India’s Strategic Framework answers that question with clarity.
As the first country in the WHO South-East Asia Region to adopt a comprehensive national AI strategy for health, India has set a regional benchmark. This is not simply a technology roadmap. It is a public health strategy - grounded in governance, ethics, equity, and system readiness.
SAHI is firmly anchored in India’s broader digital health agenda. It reinforces progress toward Universal Health Coverage and contributes directly to the Sustainable Development Goals. It recognizes that innovation must strengthen systems, expand access, and build trust.
One of the defining features of this process has been its inclusiveness.
Through regional consultations across North, South, East, and West India, the strategy was shaped by voices from central ministries, state governments, regulators, academia, industry, start-ups, clinicians, civil society, and development partners. This whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach ensures that SAHI reflects India’s diversity - and that implementation realities have been considered from the outset.
The result is a framework that is practical as well as visionary.
SAHI establishes strong foundations for governance and ethical oversight. It prioritizes high-quality data, interoperability, and secure digital infrastructure. It emphasizes workforce readiness and digital literacy. And it supports innovation ecosystems capable of moving solutions from pilots to population-level impact.
Importantly, safety, equity, and public trust are not afterthoughts - they are central design principles.
The true test now lies in implementation.
Turning strategy into measurable health gains will require sustained commitment, regulatory clarity, institutional capacity, and continuous evaluation. It will require partnership.
WHO’s South-East Asia Regional Office, together with our India Country Office, has been privileged to support the development of this framework. We remain committed to accompanying the Government of India in the next phase - strengthening governance mechanisms, supporting operational planning, and facilitating regional knowledge exchange so that India’s experience can inform progress across the Region.
India has demonstrated that AI in health can be guided by public health values, shaped through inclusive consultation, and aligned with national priorities.
We commend the Government of India for its leadership and thank all partners who contributed to this achievement.
Let us now focus on delivery - ensuring that artificial intelligence strengthens health systems, expands equity, builds public trust, and accelerates our shared journey toward Universal Health Coverage.
Thank you.