GenAI transforming Indian healthcare ecosystem efficient and inclusive

Healthy citizens are the greatest asset any country can have”, said Winston Churchill, prime minister of the United Kingdom during World War II. He was emphasising the importance of public health and well-being for a nation's overall strength and prosperity.

- Tushar K Mahanti

The saying is as true today as it was then for the UK, which was at war. A well-organized healthcare ecosystem has become a priority for most of the countries across the globe. For India, providing healthcare facilities to its vast 1.4 billion people is a gigantic task and needs definite planning with an efficient and robust healthcare ecosystem.

The basis of the current health strategy and healthcare structures in India was first presented by the Bhore Committee Report in 1946, a year before independence. The committee recommended that protective and remedial healthcare facilities should be provided to both rural and urban areas.

However, India’s first National Health Policy (NHP) was formulated nearly four decades later, in 1983, with a focus on provision of primary health care to all citizens. The NHP 1983 states that “India has a rich, centuries - old heritage of medical and health sciences. The approach of our ancient medical systems was of a holistic nature, which took into account all aspects of human health and disease”. The policy recognised the rich and long legacy of the country’s healthcare system and hoped that the government would make it more widely accessible, affordable, equitable and inclusive.

Growth of India’s healthcare system

India’s high and sustained economic growth accompanied by social and institutional progress has underlined the sharp growth of the healthcare system. Healthcare has become one of the country's largest sectors, both in terms of revenue and employment over the years.