NITI Aayog member Prof Dr M Srinivas said Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission data could transform India’s healthcare. Speaking at FICCI HEAL 2026, he noted that AI needs quality data to improve outcomes. He urged hospitals to ensure safety standards and expand affordable services to smaller cities for better patient care.
AI can enhance healthcare decisions, research, and planning but needs quality data and privacy safeguards
India's expanding digital health infrastructure could play a transformative role in how diseases are diagnosed, treated and prevented, but realising its potential will require stronger patient safety standards and more equitable access to healthcare. Prof Dr M Srinivas, Member of NITI Aayog and former director of AIIMS Delhi, has highlighted the opportunities presented by the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), saying its data could become a gamechanger for India and the Global South.
Speaking at the 20th edition of FICCI HEAL 2026, themed HEAL@20: From Vision to Value, Srinivas said the country had established a robust digital health ecosystem. He argued that harnessing this information effectively could allow artificial intelligence (AI) to support better healthcare outcomes, including beyond India.
However, his message extended beyond technology. Srinivas called for minimum quality and safety standards across Indian hospitals, urged private healthcare providers to expand affordable services to tier-2 and tier-3 cities, and emphasised preventing non-communicable diseases rather than relying primarily on treatment at advanced hospitals.
His remarks highlight a wider challenge for India's healthcare system: translating digital innovation and medical expertise into safer, more affordable and accessible care for patients across the country.
Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission data: Why it matters
"Through the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, India has created a robust digital health ecosystem. Once this data is harnessed, AI can be optimally utilised, allowing us to achieve transformative outcomes not only for the nation but also for the Global South," Srinivas said.
ABDM is designed to support the digital transformation of healthcare by enabling the exchange of health information through interoperable systems. Its components include the Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA), a digital health identifier that can help individuals link and access their health records across participating systems.
In a fragmented healthcare system, where patients may visit multiple hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centres, digital records could reduce the need to repeatedly reconstruct medical histories. With appropriate authorisation and safeguards, clinicians could potentially access relevant information about previous diagnoses, investigations, prescriptions and treatment.
For patients managing chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease, continuity of information can be particularly valuable. It may help healthcare professionals make better-informed decisions and reduce avoidable duplication of tests.
Srinivas also highlighted the National Health Authority's work towards structured data and interoperability. "We will have one platform of ABHA ID and electronic health records which will be interoperable. That's something which we are pushing for," he said.
However, the potential benefits depend on the quality, completeness and availability of records, as well as whether healthcare providers can use the systems effectively. Digital records alone do not guarantee better treatment.
Can AI turn India's health data into better healthcare?
Large, well-organised datasets could help researchers identify disease patterns, evaluate treatment outcomes and improve health planning. AI tools may eventually assist with clinical decision-making, risk assessment, resource allocation and the early identification of patients who need additional care.
India's disease burden makes this opportunity significant. Non-communicable diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, cancer and chronic respiratory illnesses, account for a substantial share of illness and premature deaths. Better health information could help policymakers understand where services are needed and identify gaps in prevention and treatment.
There is also potential for lessons from India's healthcare experience to inform other countries, particularly in the Global South, which face similar challenges involving large populations, unequal access to care and limited healthcare resources.
However, responsible use of health data requires strong privacy protections, cybersecurity, appropriate consent and safeguards against unauthorised access. AI systems must also be tested for accuracy, bias and clinical usefulness before being relied upon in patient care.
The objective should be to support healthcare professionals and patients, not to treat technology as a substitute for clinical judgement.
Dr Srinivas calls for minimum patient safety standards in hospitals
Srinivas also stressed that improving healthcare requires hospitals to prioritise safety and quality alongside treatment.
"The country should have a basic minimum standard of quality and safety at every hospital. As a country, we must come to a level where the world should recognise that Indian hospitals have a minimum standard of patient care," he said.
The call is significant in a country where healthcare is delivered by a diverse mix of public hospitals, private institutions, charitable facilities and smaller nursing homes. Their infrastructure, staffing, equipment and clinical capabilities can vary considerably.
Minimum standards could help establish a consistent baseline for safe care, regardless of where a patient seeks treatment. Relevant areas include infection prevention, medication safety, appropriate clinical protocols, trained personnel, emergency preparedness and systems for reporting and learning from adverse events.
Quality must also be assessed through patient outcomes and experiences, rather than hospital infrastructure alone. Accreditation, transparent reporting and meaningful monitoring can help identify gaps, although comparisons must account for differences in hospital size, specialties and patient complexity.
Srinivas's remarks also align with ongoing discussions around a national framework for assessing public and private hospitals on quality and safety. Such systems could help patients make better-informed choices if the measures are reliable and transparent.
Why affordable healthcare in smaller cities matters
Srinivas urged private hospitals to adopt the universal health scheme and extend affordable healthcare to tier-2 and tier-3 cities to address unequal access to services.
For many Indian families, accessing specialised treatment can involve travelling to metropolitan centres, taking time off work and paying for transport, accommodation and follow-up visits. These indirect costs can make treatment difficult even when medical services are available.
Expanding quality healthcare in smaller cities could reduce travel burdens, support earlier diagnosis and improve continuity of care. However, this requires more than opening new facilities. Hospitals need trained doctors and nurses, reliable diagnostics, adequate infrastructure and referral networks for complex cases.
Srinivas also emphasised that healthcare should place people at the centre of the system by providing the right treatment at the right time while protecting them from additional financial burdens. This is a key objective of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PM-JAY), which provides eligible beneficiaries with health coverage for specified hospitalisation expenses.
He further called for a greater focus on preventing non-communicable diseases rather than treating them only after patients require care at tertiary hospitals. Screening, early diagnosis, healthier lifestyles and sustained management of chronic conditions can all contribute to reducing the burden on hospitals.
Dr M Srinivas's remarks at FICCI HEAL 2026 underline three connected priorities for India's healthcare future: harnessing digital health data responsibly, establishing minimum standards for patient safety and making quality care more accessible and affordable.
Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission data could help strengthen clinical decisions, research and health planning, but its impact will depend on interoperability, privacy protections and effective implementation. Similarly, hospital quality standards must translate into measurable improvements in safety and patient outcomes.
For India, the next step is to ensure that technological progress and healthcare expansion benefit patients across income groups and locations. A stronger health system will depend not only on digital records and advanced hospitals, but also on prevention, reliable frontline services and care that patients can access without undue financial hardship.