India has already shown global leadership through its G20 presidency and its emphasis on digital public goods.
ARC
Health systems everywhere are under strain, from rising costs to uneven access and staff shortages. India faces these same global challenges, along with its own: a vast population, regional disparities, and limited infrastructure. But it also holds unique strengths – a digital-first mindset, a thriving startup ecosystem, and bold national ambition. This moment offers a rare opportunity: not to replicate the past, but to build a smarter, more inclusive health system from the ground up.
Health systems everywhere are under strain, from rising costs to uneven access and staff shortages. India faces these same global challenges, along with its own: a vast population, regional disparities, and limited infrastructure. But it also holds unique strengths – a digital-first mindset, a thriving startup ecosystem, and bold national ambition. This moment offers a rare opportunity: not to replicate the past, but to build a smarter, more inclusive health system from the ground up.
India’s healthcare landscape today reflects both its tremendous promise and its pressing needs. While there have been undeniable gains in recent decades, from expanded immunization to digital health initiatives, systemic challenges remain. India has about one hospital bed per 1,000 people, far below the global average. The country faces a doctor–patient ratio that lags behind international benchmarks, especially in rural regions. Yet it also possesses a unique combination of strengths: a digitally connected population, a thriving startup ecosystem, deep technical expertise, and a large, motivated healthcare workforce.
This convergence of factors creates a pivotal moment. India is not locked into outdated infrastructure. It has the freedom and the capability to design something fundamentally better.
A smarter approach to health infrastructure
In much of the world, the dominant approach to health investment has centered on physical infrastructure: build more hospitals, purchase more equipment, hire more specialists. While these are important elements of care delivery, they are no longer sufficient and, in many cases, no longer sustainable. Even the most developed healthcare systems are struggling with inefficiency, rising costs, clinician burnout, and persistent gaps in access.
This can lead to an exciting opportunity for transformation of the local healthcare system; India, with its unique set strengths, can embrace a digital-first model, one that embeds intelligence into every layer of the system.
Take, for example, a nurse in a rural clinic equipped with an AI-enabled ultrasound device. With minimal training and no nearby radiologist, that nurse can detect life-threatening conditions like heart failure, deep vein thrombosis, or internal bleeding. This is not theoretical. These tools exist today- relying on minimal equipment and integrating seamlessly with a basic smartphone-and are already being used in forward-thinking health systems.
Similarly, AI algorithms integrated into emergency care settings can analyze routine patient data in real time, flagging deterioration earlier and guiding clinicians to intervene more effectively. These technologies do not require new buildings or massive budgets. They require smart implementation, local training, and the will to rethink outdated models.
Another transformative shift is the ability to move care from hospitals into the home using remote monitoring and digital tools. This not only reduces the strain on centralized facilities, but also expands access to communities that have traditionally been underserved. For example, remote monitoring of women with high-risk pregnancies-conducted via standard mobile phones along with simple connected devices-can dramatically improve maternal fetal outcomes in rural areas. By investing in remote care infrastructure, India can help close critical equity gaps and ensure quality care reaches every corner of the country.
Innovation from the inside out
Of course, technology alone will not solve systemic challenges. Sustainable transformation depends on people, particularly those working closest to the problems. At Sheba Medical Center in Israel, we have learned that frontline clinicians often have the clearest insights into what is not working, and the most practical ideas for what might.
This understanding led us to create the ARC Innovation Center, an innovation engine embedded within our hospital where doctors, nurses, engineers, and entrepreneurs collaborate to solve real clinical problems. In just a few years, ARC has helped launch over 100 startups with a combined valuation of 5.8 billion US dollars. These companies are not building speculative products, they are co-developing solutions alongside clinicians, tailored to real-world needs, demonstrating that clinical innovation can also drive sustainable revenue and long-term value. The initiative has also created over 3,500 jobs, many of them in data science, product design, and software development, spurring economic growth alongside medical innovation.
India is uniquely suited to build on this model. With its massive network of hospitals, world-class technical talent, and a growing number of innovation-friendly policies, the potential to embed similar centers of co-creation into Indian institutions is enormous. Imagine every major hospital serving not just as a site of care, but as a hub of problem-solving, generating local solutions with global relevance.
Health systems as engines of prosperity
Too often, healthcare is treated as a financial burden, something governments must subsidize or contain. But when designed intelligently, health systems can become drivers of prosperity. They improve productivity, reduce long-term societal burdens, and create high-value jobs. More importantly, they build trust and resilience, both critical ingredients for national development.
India has already shown global leadership through its G20 presidency and its emphasis on digital public goods. It has pioneered tools like CoWIN for vaccine distribution and demonstrated the power of digital health IDs. Now it has the opportunity to take the next step, to build an adaptive, inclusive health system that can serve as a model for the world.
This is not about spending more. It is about designing better. It is about empowering clinicians to lead innovation. And it is about ensuring that the tools of tomorrow are being built where the needs are greatest today.
India has everything it needs to lead the next era in global health. The only question is how boldly and how quickly it will seize that opportunity.
About the author: Prof. Eyal Zimlichman, MD, is Founder and Director of ARC & Chief Innovation, Transformation, and AI Officer at Sheba Medical Center
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