Artificial intelligence is expected to become the driving force behind the next phase of expansion for India’s flagship healthcare programmes Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) and the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), according to National Health Authority CEO Sunil Kumar Barnwal.
Speaking during a healthcare industry session organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry, Barnwal said AI will play a major role in improving healthcare accessibility, strengthening digital health infrastructure, and enabling smarter healthcare delivery across India. He emphasized that the next phase of India’s public healthcare transformation will rely heavily on AI integration across multiple healthcare touchpoints.
According to Barnwal, AI technologies are already contributing to the foundational architecture of ABDM, which aims to create a unified digital healthcare ecosystem connecting hospitals, insurers, healthcare providers, patients, and digital health records through interoperable systems. Officials believe AI can significantly improve healthcare efficiency through predictive analytics, digital claims processing, fraud detection, and personalized healthcare services.
Barnwal also encouraged healthcare institutions to integrate with the National Health Claims Exchange (NHCX), a digital platform developed to streamline healthcare insurance claims processing. The NHA expects AI-enabled automation to reduce administrative delays, improve transparency, and strengthen programme efficiency under both public and private healthcare ecosystems.
The push toward AI integration comes as PM-JAY continues expanding rapidly. Government data indicates the programme now covers more than 60 crore beneficiaries and has facilitated healthcare treatments worth approximately ₹1.8 lakh crore for over 12 crore individuals across India. Healthcare experts say managing healthcare delivery at this scale requires advanced digital infrastructure and intelligent automation systems.
AI is also increasingly being used to protect programme integrity and combat healthcare fraud. During the Auto-Adjudication Hackathon Showcase 2026 held at the Indian Institute of Science Bengaluru, NHA officials demonstrated AI systems capable of detecting suspicious claims, forged medical documents, deepfake content, and fraudulent healthcare transactions under PM-JAY. Barnwal stated that AI-driven anti-fraud systems have already helped prevent fraudulent claims worth nearly ₹690 crore over the last two years.
Healthcare analysts believe India’s digital public health infrastructure including PM-JAY, ABDM, ABHA Health IDs, and NHCX could become one of the world’s largest integrated digital healthcare ecosystems. Experts note that India’s large population and rapidly growing healthcare data ecosystem make it an ideal environment for scalable AI healthcare innovation.
At the same time, healthcare policy experts continue emphasizing the importance of strong safeguards related to patient privacy, cybersecurity, ethical AI governance, and algorithm transparency. Many experts advocate for “human in the loop” healthcare systems where AI supports medical professionals rather than replacing clinical judgment entirely.
“The next phase of growth in healthcare will be driven by AI and its use across multiple touchpoints of care to empower the consumer and make health accessible to the last mile.”
By
HB Team
