Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda said that while Artificial Intelligence (AI) has enormous potential to improve healthcare services, its development must be backed by proper regulations, ethical safeguards, scientific research and a strong focus on equity.
Speaking at the event titled “Artificial Intelligence in Health: Laws, Ethical Oversight, Research and Equity” during the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Nadda stressed that AI should benefit every section of society and not widen existing healthcare inequalities.
He noted that India began building its digital infrastructure through the Digital India initiative launched in 2015 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to him, the initiative helped prepare the country for emerging technologies such as AI.
Nadda highlighted that the National Health Policy 2017 envisioned a connected and inclusive digital healthcare ecosystem, which later paved the way for the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission launched in 2021 along with consent-based digital health data systems.
He emphasized that digitisation and data collection alone cannot improve healthcare outcomes unless supported by strong governance frameworks for the safe and responsible use of AI.
The minister also referred to the launch of the Strategy for AI in Healthcare for India (SAHI) during the India AI Impact Summit in February 2026. He described SAHI as the first major AI healthcare strategy from the Global South, aimed at ensuring transparent, ethical and people-centric use of AI in healthcare.
Nadda pointed out that India is managing AI governance for a population of 1.4 billion people across 22 official languages and different levels of healthcare accessibility.
At the same time, he warned that AI could deepen healthcare disparities if it is not designed carefully and inclusively. He also spoke about the development of BODH Benchmarking Open Data Platform for Health AI which evaluates AI tools using real-world datasets to ensure fairness, safety and reliability.
Calling for international cooperation, Nadda said no nation can tackle AI-related opportunities and challenges alone. He stressed the importance of trusted and interoperable health data systems, collaborative research and ethical AI innovation.
He concluded by saying that innovation should always be supported by regulation, public trust and ethical values. Referring to Prime Minister Modi’s vision, Nadda said India believes not just in “Artificial Intelligence” but in “All-Inclusive Intelligence,” urging the world to ensure AI serves the greater public good.
