Davos 2025: India can take its AI-driven healthcare solutions to global South and beyond, says Dr Shyam Bishen

Dr Shyam Bishen, Head, Centre for Health and Healthcare; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

India is poised to establish itself as a key global player in AI-driven healthcare, with innovations such as the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission offering scalable solutions that can be exported to other countries as well, particularly within the Global South, said Dr Shyam Bishen, head of the Centre for Health & Healthcare and member of the executive committee at the World Economic Forum (WEF).

"AI has huge potential to transform healthcare, and India plays a critical role here. The country has already begun working on this by leveraging AI to overhaul health systems. Initiatives like Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission and the integration of healthcare accounts provide a strong foundation for private sector innovation," Dr Bishen explained.

“These solutions can be scaled domestically and exported globally, especially to the Global South,” he added during an interview with Moneycontrol at WEF 2025 in Davos.

Dr Shyam Bishen, Head of the Centre for Health & Healthcare and Member of the Executive Committee at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in conversation with Chandra R Srikanth, Deputy Executive Editor, Moneycontrol at WEF 2025 in Davos

The senior healthcare executive pointed out that India’s ability to leverage AI to extend healthcare access to rural areas—particularly through telemedicine—demonstrates the country’s capability to address global healthcare challenges. He believes India’s experience in building digital public infrastructure serves as a model for other nations, enabling the leapfrogging of traditional healthcare systems.

"India, along with other developing countries, has a unique opportunity to leapfrog in healthcare, just as it has done in digital payments and telecommunications," Dr Bishen said.

"We’re already witnessing this transformation in India, and the same model can be implemented in other parts of the world."

Overcoming data challenges to power AI

Dr Bishen highlighted the critical challenge of data silos and interoperability. To address this, the WEF’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) in Hyderabad, launched in February 2024, is collaborating with both the Indian government and the private sector to ensure high-quality, interoperable health data.

"AI is nothing without data, and while there’s no shortage of health data in India, access to good-quality, interoperable data remains a challenge. We are actively working to solve this," he noted.

India’s vast health data is seen as an asset in creating AI solutions that can improve healthcare delivery, not just domestically but on a global scale, particularly in resource-constrained settings.

India’s AI-driven healthcare initiatives are not confined to its own borders. Dr Bishen shared that India is working on a global initiative to scale successful AI applications and export them worldwide.

“Our Centre (in Hyderabad) runs the digital healthcare transformation program, where we’re launching activators in India and other regions. India will be one of the key launchpads, collaborating with both the government and the private sector to scale successful AI solutions,” he explained. “The goal is not only to scale these solutions but to ensure they can be adapted and implemented globally, bringing together a global exchange of ideas and initiatives.”

In this global push, the focus is on building local healthcare ecosystems that can pilot, scale, and eventually expand successful solutions to other regions, furthering AI’s role in transforming healthcare worldwide.

Preparing for next pandemic 

During the interview, Dr Bishen emphasised the growing threat of future pandemics due to climate change, stating, “New pathogens, new viruses, will become a part of our living on this planet.” He stressed the need for global healthcare systems to be well-prepared, ensuring access to primary care, healthcare products, and services across countries.

He highlighted the WEF's efforts to launch initiatives like the Bridge disease intelligence initiative, which focuses on global pathogen surveillance and data sharing, and the regional vaccine manufacturing initiative to improve vaccine access, particularly in regions like Africa.

"We need to bring both public and private sectors together to solve these challenges and prepare health systems for what's coming," he said.