New Delhi, India: India needs to move beyond its role as the “Pharmacy of the World” and build capabilities as the “Laboratory of the World” through research, innovation and emerging technologies, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilizers Anupriya Patel said at the IIMA Healthcare Summit 2026.
Addressing the third edition of the summit at IIM Ahmedabad, Patel highlighted the potential of artificial intelligence to reshape drug discovery and healthcare delivery. She said AI could help accelerate drug discovery, support personalised treatment and improve disease screening, clinical decision-making and surveillance.
The minister stressed that AI adoption in healthcare must remain safe, responsible and centred on patients. She said the technology should complement human clinical judgement rather than replace it, while strong safeguards are needed to protect patient privacy. Patel also called for moving AI applications beyond pilot projects towards population-level implementation through collaboration between government, academia, healthcare institutions, startups and industry.
The government has established Centres of Excellence for AI in healthcare at AIIMS New Delhi, PGIMER Chandigarh and AIIMS Rishikesh. Patel also highlighted the ₹5,000 crore Promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma-MedTech Sector (PRIP) Scheme and the ₹10,000 crore Biopharma SHAKTI mission, which aims to strengthen India’s capabilities in biologics and biosimilars, skilled manpower, regulation and clinical trials.
Department of Pharmaceuticals Secretary Manoj Joshi said pharmaceutical companies are increasingly using AI in areas including production, human resources, marketing, distribution and inventory management. Startups in Bengaluru and Hyderabad are also applying AI to drug discovery to identify potential drug candidates faster.
Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava said the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission has created an interoperable digital health ecosystem, with more than 96 crore ABHA IDs and over 1,000 crore digitally linked health records. AI applications are also being used for early disease detection and clinical decision support through eSanjeevani, which has benefited more than 20 crore patients.
The summit also saw the launch of India Pharma Archives and the release of a book documenting India’s COVID-19 vaccine development journey.
Source: This article is based on an official press release issued by the Press Information Bureau, Government of India
Press Release: Press Information Bureau
