Health Minister releases Knowledge Paper on AI in MedTech

Union Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers and Health & Family Welfare J. P. Nadda released a knowledge paper on "AI in MedTech: Revolutionising Healthcare Through Artificial Intelligence" at the 9th Edition of India Medical Device 2026, organised by the Department of Pharmaceuticals in association with FICCI, at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, on 8 August.

The report highlights the growing role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the healthcare sector, from creating new opportunities to addressing emerging challenges.

Jointly developed by Praxis Global Alliance, in association with FICCI, the knowledge paper examines India's evolving AI-enabled MedTech landscape and outlines the strategic actions needed to accelerate responsible AI adoption across healthcare. It explores AI's role in diagnostics, clinical decision support, operational efficiency and medical device innovation, while identifying the regulatory, policy and ecosystem interventions required to enable large scale adoption.

The report while noting that India has already built important foundations through the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), the IndiaAI Mission, SAHI, BODH and the National Medical Devices Policy, 2023, observes that moving AI solutions from successful pilots to large-scale clinical adoption is a major challenge. The report notes that this transition requires addressing fragmented health data and limited evidence, developing predictable lifecycle-based regulation for adaptive AI, and creating supportive reimbursement and procurement mechanisms.

The report highlights five priorities for accelerating AI-enabled MedTech adoption in India: •MedTech represents India's most immediate and scalable AI opportunity, •India has the foundations for AI leadership, but not yet the ecosystem for scale, •India must move beyond successful pilots to routine clinical adoption by addressing three ecosystem gaps: AI-ready data and evidence, lifecycle-based regulation, and procurement and reimbursement mechanisms that recognise AI-enabled value' •AI-enabled diagnostics are expected to be the first large-scale application, •Coordinated action across government, regulators, healthcare providers, payers, industry and academia will be essential to position India as a global leader in responsible AI-enabled MedTech.