India's healthcare ambition goes beyond affordable treatment
Healthcare is evolving from wider access to technology-led and research-driven care
India’s healthcare story over the past eight decades has been one of remarkable transformation, from tackling shortages in access and infrastructure to emerging as a global powerhouse in pharmaceuticals, specialised healthcare and digital innovation.
As the country moves towards becoming a developed nation by 2047, the focus is increasingly shifting from delivering affordable healthcare to creating a future-ready ecosystem driven by technology, research and preventive care.
Government initiatives such as Ayushman Bharat and the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) have accelerated this transition. According to the National Health Authority’s Annual Report 2024-25, the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) has facilitated more than 91.9 million hospital treatments worth Rs1.29 trillion (Dh50.3 billion) since its launch. Meanwhile, the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) has created over 765.3 million Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts (ABHA) and linked more than 513 million digital health records as of March 31, 2025.
For Dr Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals, India’s healthcare evolution has been about raising both standards and ambitions.
“India’s healthcare journey has progressed from expanding access to building centres of excellence that deliver outcomes comparable with the best in the world,” she says.
Apollo, she notes, has helped pioneer advanced therapies such as proton therapy, precision oncology and robotic surgery, reflecting the broader shift towards specialised care.
Looking ahead, technology will define the next chapter.
AI transforms care
“Artificial Intelligence will be the defining technology shaping the next era of healthcare. Its greatest impact will not be in replacing clinicians, but in enabling every clinician to consistently deliver the highest standard of care,” Dr Reddy says, adding that AI, interoperable health records, robotics and remote monitoring are making India an increasingly preferred destination for advanced medical care.
The country’s growing reputation as a medical tourism destination is also being reinforced by expanding hospital networks and world-class clinical expertise.
Dr Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman of Aster DM Healthcare, says patients today expect far more than treatment.
“They are no longer looking only for treatment, they expect timely access, transparency, personalised care, clinical excellence and a seamless experience throughout their healthcare journey,” Dr Moopen says.
At Aster alone, hospitals in India performed more than 2,695 robotic-assisted surgeries and over 575 organ transplants during the last financial year, while introducing India’s first Intra Operative Electron Radiation Therapy platform for targeted cancer treatment.
According to Dr Moopen, digital health, AI-assisted diagnostics, telemedicine and connected care are helping improve outcomes while extending specialist care beyond major cities. With operations spanning India and the Gulf, Dr Moopen also sees deeper regional collaboration ahead.
“The next phase of collaboration will be defined less by geography and more by the seamless exchange of clinical excellence, technology and talent,” he says, citing growing opportunities in research, specialist training and digital healthcare between India and GCC countries.
The healthcare industry is also entering a new growth phase. A recent Deloitte India survey found that healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies are shifting from volume-led expansion to technology-enabled, quality-driven growth.
Based on responses from CXOs at leading hospital chains and drugmakers, the survey projects hospitals to grow 10¬15 per cent in FY27, driven by rising insurance coverage and AI-enabled specialised care, while the pharmaceutical industry is expected to expand 5¬15 per cent, supported by strong demand for generics, specialty medicines and exports.
Beyond generics
India’s pharmaceutical industry has undergone an equally dramatic transformation. Once focused primarily on affordable generic medicines, the sector now supplies medicines to more than 200 countries, accounts for around 20 per cent of global generic medicine supplies, meets nearly 60 per cent of global vaccine demand, and has the largest number of US FDA-approved manufacturing facilities outside the US.
Sudarshan Jain, Secretary General of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA), believes the country’s next growth phase will be driven by science and innovation.
“This is not a shift away from affordable access; it is an evolution towards delivering innovative, affordable medicines that improve lives,” he says.
Jain says Indian companies are increasingly investing in new drug discovery, biologics, complex medicines and digital technologies, while regulatory excellence and quality standards will remain critical to strengthening India’s global competitiveness.
“By 2047, India’s ambition should be not only to make medicines for the world, but to discover them in India for patients everywhere,” Jain adds.
While India has made significant progress in expanding access to healthcare, experts caution that several structural challenges remain.
Manjiri Gharat, International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) India Envoy and a senior global pharmacy leader, says the country still faces gaps in primary healthcare, uneven distribution of healthcare professionals, high out-of-pocket expenditure and growing lifestyle diseases.
She believes pharmacists can play a much bigger role in improving access.
“India has enough pharmacists to transform healthcare access — the challenge is not availability, but enabling them to contribute to their full potential,” she says.
Gharat adds that strengthening primary healthcare, improving health literacy, expanding the healthcare workforce and promoting preventive care will be essential if India is to build a resilient healthcare system by 2047.
“These measures, combined with a strong emphasis on preventive healthcare, will help ensure that Indians not only live longer but also enjoy healthier, more productive lives, adding life to years, not just years to life,” Gharat adds.
The government’s digital push is expected to play a central role in that journey. Alongside wider insurance coverage and expanding medical education, digital health infrastructure is creating an integrated healthcare ecosystem capable of improving efficiency, reducing costs and extending quality care to underserved populations.
