NHA Convenes BRICS Dialogue on Digital Health and AI for Continuum of Care
The National Health Authority (NHA), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, organized a side event during the 16th BRICS Health Ministers' Meeting titled "From Digital Health Records to AI-Enabled Healthcare: Strengthening the Continuum of Care Through Interoperable Data Infrastructure and Responsible Artificial Intelligence." The dialogue brought together policymakers, technical experts, and health leaders from BRICS countries to discuss the transformative role of digital health infrastructure and responsible AI in delivering seamless, patient-centric healthcare.
Union Health Secretary Smt. Punya Salila Srivastava emphasized that continuity of care is the true measure of whether digital health and AI are delivering meaningful benefits to citizens. She noted that BRICS nations share common challenges including large and diverse populations, significant rural-urban disparities, growing burden of chronic and non-communicable diseases, and stretched health workforces, making interoperable digital health infrastructure and responsible AI essential tools for strengthening integrated healthcare delivery.
India's Digital Health Achievements and Framework
India reported significant progress under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), having created over 940 million ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account) IDs, issued unique digital identities to more than one million healthcare professionals and over five lakh health facilities, and enabled citizens to securely access more than one billion linked digital health records across the continuum of care. India also recently launched SAHI (Strategic Framework for AI in Healthcare), which provides a framework for responsible adoption of AI while ensuring ethics, transparency, safety and citizen trust.
BRICS Compendium Findings and Recommendations
Chief Executive Officer of NHA, Shri Sunil Kumar Barnwal, presented the BRICS Technical Working Group-4 (TWG-4) Compendium on Digital Health Architecture for Continuum of Care, which provides a comprehensive assessment of digital health ecosystems across BRICS countries. The compendium identified common challenges including fragmented health information systems, limited interoperability, uneven digital maturity across regions, and the need for robust data governance frameworks. It offers a practical framework for strengthening continuum of care through interoperable digital public infrastructure, adoption of open standards, secure consent-based data exchange, and responsible use of AI.
Country Experiences and Best Practices
The panel discussion featured delegates from BRICS member countries sharing their experiences. Brazil shared details of their National Health Data Network (RNDS) which transformed the country from paper-based referrals to unified national health information exchange, and highlighted that telehealth services now reach nearly 80% of municipalities, significantly improving access to specialist healthcare in remote regions including the Amazon. Indonesia outlined the rapid scale-up of their Integrated Primary Health Care model across thousands of Puskesmas (primary health centres) and implementation of the SATUSEHAT digital health platform adapted to support continuity of care across their archipelago of more than 17,000 islands despite connectivity challenges.
Participants emphasized that while AI presents immense opportunities for healthcare delivery, its safe and effective deployment depends on high-quality, interoperable health data and locally validated clinical evidence. The dialogue reaffirmed BRICS countries' commitment to harness digital innovation and responsible AI for building resilient, inclusive health systems while advancing universal health coverage.