India can be a global pathfinder in digital health – here’s how

As the world reaches a crucial juncture of rapid technological advancement and pressing healthcare challenges, digital transformation offers a compelling path forward. By harnessing innovations across artificial intelligence, big data, telemedicine and other domains, healthcare is evolving from reactive measures to proactive, predictive and highly personalized systems. This shift is not just about technology but about reimagining how we define good health and deliver equitable and efficient care.

As the theme for the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting 2025, "Collaboration for the Intelligent Age," highlights, collaboration—across borders, industries and communities—will unlock this revolution's full potential.

India, a vibrant tapestry of diversity and innovation, is uniquely equipped to lead this global transformation.

The healthcare challenges of today—rising costs, unequal access, poor outcomes and the growing burden of chronic diseases—demand collective action.

The global digital health revolution requires more than technological breakthroughs; it requires effective collaboration and system-level alignment. For instance:

Efforts are underway to address these issues, but many challenges remain, underscoring the urgency for interoperable systems, cross-border partnerships and public-private collaboration to unlock digital health’s full potential.

India is uniquely positioned to lead this movement. With pioneering initiatives that tackle critical challenges at scale, it is at the forefront of the global digital health transformation. As a key proponent of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH), launched during the G20 Summit under India’s Presidency in 2023, the country has emerged as a global leader in promoting collaboration, interoperability, and equitable access to digital health solutions.

Domestically, India’s national digital health programmes are addressing systemic gaps and providing scalable solutions. For example:

Digital health technologies are transforming healthcare delivery across India, addressing critical challenges and expanding access to care. AI-powered diagnostics are bridging gaps in specialist care, particularly in remote and underserved regions. For example, initiatives in Northeast India, led by Apollo Hospitals in partnership with the Government of Meghalaya and the World Economic Forum, show progress in cancer care.

Telemedicine platforms are overcoming geographical barriers and reaching remote populations with high-quality healthcare. Apollo Hospitals, as a leader in digital healthcare, has used its expertise to deliver advanced solutions and set new standards for inclusivity and evidence-based care by fostering interoperability and integrating fragmented systems.

India’s thriving digital ecosystem, robust digital public infrastructure (DPI), and ambitious national health initiatives provide the ideal foundation for scalable, sustainable solutions. The country’s capacity to test, refine, and scale solutions across its vast, diverse population and multifaceted health system—a system spanning urban and rural, public and private sectors—offers invaluable insights for designing cost-effective, adaptable models that can guide global healthcare strategies.

India’s private sector plays a pivotal role in advancing healthcare innovation. Apollo Hospitals has pioneered the integration of digital health into everyday practice, combining clinical excellence with economic sustainability. Its data-driven research, AI-powered diagnostics and telemedicine-enabled digital dispensaries address gaps in rural healthcare delivery.

Cross-sector partnerships, including public-private partnerships (PPPs) involving government, healthcare, technology companies and R&D, are essential to the success of these initiatives. Models proven in India can be adapted for other regions, especially low- and middle-income countries facing similar healthcare challenges.

In 2024, the World Economic Forum, Apollo Hospitals and a group of leading global healthcare and technology organizations launched the Digital Healthcare Transformation (DHT) Initiative. This initiative leverages public-private cooperation to harness digital health’s full potential, bridging the gap between future promise and current reality at a pivotal moment that will shape global health for the coming decades.

The initiative uses a collaborative ecosystem framework to drive system-wide change in digital health. Key focus areas include:

Through high-level collaboration, knowledge exchange and multi-stakeholder engagement, the DHT Initiative aims to create a roadmap for scaling impactful digital health solutions in India and beyond.

India’s digital health journey is not just a national story—it’s a global opportunity. By leading in collaboration, innovation, and implementation, India can help shape the future of healthcare in the Intelligent Age and inspire a global shift toward equitable, efficient, and connected care.

As healthcare challenges intensify, global inequities persist and new digital architectures take shape, the time to act is now.

If we get it right, a connected, data-driven approach to healthcare can reshape how care is delivered and ensure better health for billions of people. India can serve as a pathfinder in partnership with healthcare innovators worldwide.