Rishi Sonwal

India’s HealthTech story is moving beyond adoption. The bigger question is whether India can become a technology partner for healthcare systems across the Global South. The timing is significant. As New Delhi prepares to host the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit on September 12–13, public health and technology cooperation are part of the wider BRICS conversation. The BRICS Health Ministers’ track has also brought digital health and AI-enabled healthcare into focus. India already has important building blocks. The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) is creating a national digital-health architecture, while eSanjeevani has demonstrated how technology can extend healthcare access at population scale. Indian innovators are working across diagnostics, clinical AI, medical devices and remote care. But HealthTech leadership is not simply about having startups, platforms or AI pilots. It requires clinical validation, interoperability, data protection, appropriate regulation and the ability to tak...

As the 18th BRICS Summit opens in New Delhi (September 12–13, 2026) under India’s Chairship guided by the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,” the official release places digital health architecture, AI-enabled healthcare continuum, and accessible health technology directly at the heart of the Global South agenda. As the Summit brings the Global South into sharp focus, a fundamental question emerges for the global healthcare ecosystem: Will developing economies remain passive consumers of Western medical innovation, or will they co-create a new paradigm for population-scale, affordable health technology? With its unique convergence of digital public infrastructure, frugal engineering, and massive demographic diversity, India is positioned at a historic tipping point. Here are 5 strategic pillars where India can lead the BRICS nations and the broader Global South in healthcare technology transformation: 1. AI-Powered Diagnostics & Clinical Dec...

Skilled talent + world-class testing infrastructure + manufacturing capability could shape India’s next MedTech leap. Two recent developments caught my attention. 1. The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) has placed the draft Competency-Based Curriculum for a Diploma in Medical Equipment Technology in the public domain and invited suggestions/comments latest by October 1, 2026. What makes this interesting is the breadth of the proposed curriculum. It goes well beyond traditional equipment maintenance to include: Medical imaging & diagnostic systems Critical-care and life-support equipment Clinical engineering & asset management Healthcare IT & cybersecurity AI/ML and Software as a Medical Device Quality, safety, calibration and regulatory compliance A 960-hour clinical internship in a hospital setting Official NCAHP Draft Curriculum : Diploma in Medical Equipment Technology 2. Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has called upon India...

Life often brings public policy into sharp focus when you least expect it. Last Friday, I had to suddenly rush to my hometown, Varanasi, due to my grandmother’s severe ill health. We admitted her to a private hospital, and within minutes, the PMJAY (Ayushman Bharat) workflow seamlessly kicked in—enabling cashless critical care treatment without administrative bottlenecks. Sitting in the ICU alongside her, watching the care delivery unfold in real time, was a deeply grounding moment. As a health policy professional, it highlighted a vital structural shift: PMJAY has successfully driven high-capacity, standardized tertiary care into Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. In Varanasi alone, multi-specialty private networks along the National Highway corridors are now operating at a standard that was previously exclusive to Tier-1 metros. But establishing this baseline capacity raises a larger strategic question for regional development: Once a regional ecosystem masters high-volume domestic care throu...

As the festive season approaches, raw material volatility is a central discussion across India's industrial hubs. For integrated healthcare manufacturers navigating both allopathic and traditional medicines production, the sudden spike in domestic sugar prices presents a unique operational challenge. Rather than reacting to market speculation, it is critical to look at the structural realities behind this trend, as highlighted by The Indian Express and official Press Information Bureau (PIB) data: The Output Reality: Gross domestic sugar production for the current season fell sharply to 306 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT), down 11% from initial state estimates of 343 LMT due to climate shocks. Declining Ethanol Diversion: Data confirms the share of sugar diverted to ethanol dropped from 12% in 2022-23 to 9% in 2025-26. Today, nearly three-fourths of India's ethanol is derived from grains like maize, keeping it largely decoupled from sugarcane supply. Global Headwinds: International su...