Union MoS Anupriya Patel Addresses IIMA Healthcare Summit 2026 on Advancing AI in Healthcare

Key facts

• The third edition of the IIMA Healthcare Summit 2026 was held at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) on August 24, 2026.
• Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals & Fertilisers Anupriya Patel called for collaboration among government, industry, academia, technology companies and startups to accelerate responsible AI adoption in pharma and healthcare.
• Patel said India's pharmaceutical industry should move beyond being the 'Pharmacy of the World' to become the 'Laboratory of the World'.
• The summit, themed 'Advancing AI in Healthcare', brought together more than 500 industry leaders, healthcare professionals, researchers and innovators.
• Patel highlighted the Promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma-MedTech Sector (PRIP) scheme with a financial outlay of ₹5,000 crore and the National Biopharma Mission as government initiatives to strengthen collaboration.
• She said AI capabilities could be built on digital platforms such as the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission to improve screening, clinical decision support, disease surveillance, risk prediction, remote monitoring and personalised follow-up.
• During the summit, Patel launched the Indian Pharma Archives portal, a digital public archive documenting more than 125 years of India's pharmaceutical journey.
• She also released the book 'From Labs to Jabs' documenting India's COVID-19 vaccine development, co-authored by Rajesh Chandwani, Ranjan Kumar Ghosh and Vinita Sindhwani Satija.
• The summit featured panel discussions on policy imperatives for AI in Indian healthcare and how AI is reshaping diagnostics, pharmaceuticals and healthcare delivery.
• A fireside chat on 'Leading AI-ready Healthcare Organisations' featured Sharvil Patel, President of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance and Managing Director of Zydus Lifesciences, and Ameera Shah, Executive Chairperson of Metropolis Healthcare.