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BRICS 2026: From “Pharmacy of the World” to a HealthTech Leader — What India Is Taking to BRICS

BRICS 2026 Day 1

Day 1 of BRICS 2026 has given me something more interesting to watch than the usual summit headlines: what India is actually putting on the table in HealthTech.

At the BRICS Business Forum, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal described India as the “pharmacy of the world” and highlighted BRICS as an important market for Indian products. But India’s healthcare proposition is increasingly moving beyond pharmaceuticals.

At the Bharat Innovates Exposition, 37 Indian deep-tech ventures are being showcased to BRICS CEOs, investors and business leaders, with the stated aim of creating technology partnerships, investment opportunities and international market access.

Among the innovations on display are AI-enabled cervical cancer screening and AI-based maternal-fetal monitoring.

The first could help make cervical cancer risk assessment and early detection more scalable. The second could support earlier identification of maternal and fetal risks through technology-enabled monitoring.

These are only two examples.

The broader opportunity is to connect AI, diagnostics, digital health, MedTech and pharmaceuticals with the healthcare needs of BRICS and other emerging markets.

And that is where I see the bigger significance.

India is not simply showcasing technologies. It is trying to create pathways for technology partnerships, investment, commercialisation and international deployment.

For BRICS countries, Indian solutions could offer something particularly valuable: technologies designed around affordability, scale and diverse healthcare environments.

For India, the opportunity is equally significant.

The next step is not merely to export products. It is to pursue co-development, clinical validation, regulatory cooperation, local partnerships and technology transfer.

This could turn India’s “pharmacy of the world” strength into a much broader healthcare proposition.

And the opportunity should not stop with BRICS.

The US and European HealthTech ecosystems remain important sources of advanced technology, research, capital and global market access. India can work with these ecosystems while simultaneously building stronger HealthTech partnerships across the Global South.

That is how leadership may emerge — not by doing everything alone, but by becoming a trusted HealthTech partner and co-creator.

Day 1 has given us some interesting signals. I’ll be watching what Day 2 adds to this story.

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#HealthTech #HealthcareAI #DigitalHealth #MedTech #BRICS2026 #HealthInnovation #GlobalHealth

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