New Delhi, Nov 22 (LatestNewsX) – Vikram Pagaria, director of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) at the National Health Authority (NHA), highlighted on Saturday that tech is a linchpin for reaching universal health coverage in India.
The comment came during the Regional Open Digital Health Summit 2025, a three‑day gathering in the capital that united government bodies, international experts and health‑tech firms to kick‑off a South‑East‑Asia blueprint on Digital Health and AI collaboration.
Pagaria framed digital health as an investment rather than an expense. “Digital health is an investment, not a cost, and is essential in achieving universal health coverage,” he explained. He urged that the power of technology must be paired with real‑world solutions to tackle shortages of doctors and to bridge gaps for rural populations.
“Technology alone does not equal transformation. True impact comes from addressing real‑world needs, empowering frontline workers, protecting rights, and ensuring equity,” said Meredith Dyson, Regional Health Specialist at UNICEF. Dyson underscored the need for interoperability‑by‑design and country‑specific plans that follow Digital Public Infrastructure principles.
Abhishek Singh, the Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and CEO of the IndiaAI Mission, called for a safe, inclusive, and globally competitive AI‑enabled health system. He emphasized multi‑stakeholder partnership among national governments, states, hospitals, technologists, academia, the World Health Organization and the Global South.
Karthik Adapa, WHO’s Regional Advisor for Digital Health in South‑East Asia, clarified that integration differs from interoperability. He listed the pillars of a strong digital health ecosystem: infrastructure, Digital Public Infrastructure, applications, governance, and capacity building.
The panel also tackled the urgent need for a sustainable financing model, given shrinking fiscal space, rising health costs and dwindling global aid. Countries in the region—India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Thailand and Timor‑Leste—share hurdles such as fragmented funding streams, donor dependence and weak long‑term budgeting, all of which jeopardise progress in digital health.
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