India requires a healthkeeper to secure its demographic dividend

Scaling up the use of tech to track health can provide a vital generation the preventive care it’ll need

- SHOBANA KAMINENI

By 2047, Gen Z will dominate India’s workforce. Yet, this is a generation already showing signs of burnout in their twenties. Raised in a digital-first world, they appear to be grappling with a mix of mental and metabolic risks.

India’s demographic dividend has long been hailed as our greatest asset: a young, dynamic population poised to fuel innovation, productivity and economic growth. But the picture is fast changing. Fertility rates are declining; in several Indian states, they have fallen below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman. In other words, one man and one woman are no longer replacing themselves with two children. And with less than 25 years left to realize the country Viksit Bharat vision, we need to act now.

Recently, I met a 27-year-old entrepreneur who was quietly managing prediabetes and early signs of hypertension. He wore a fitness band, logged meals and calibrated his routine through device-led data. “I just need a nudge before I slip,” he said. His story stayed with me—not because it was unusual, but because it is now common for youngsters to manage their health without stepping into a hospital. What Gen Z needs is not more doctors or clinics, but a healthkeeper—i.e. a system that monitors, nudges and intervenes before their health breaks down.