Artificial intelligence systems used in healthcare must be tested on large and diverse population datasets before they are deployed, National Health Authority (NHA) CEO Dr. Sunil Kumar Barnwal has said. He stressed that proper testing is necessary to ensure accuracy, inclusion, and public trust in AI-based health solutions.
Dr. Barnwal was speaking at the Federated Intelligence Hackathon on Health AI, held at IIT Kanpur. The event was a prelude to the India AI Impact Summit 2026 and brought together policymakers, researchers, and technology experts. He said India is now moving beyond small experiments and is focusing on building reliable, benchmarked AI models that can be safely used in healthcare services.
He explained that healthcare AI must reflect India’s wide demographic and regional diversity. Systems trained on limited or biased data may give inaccurate results and exclude large sections of the population. Referring to government programmes such as Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) and the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), he said AI tools should be “context-ready” for Indian conditions.
Dr. Barnwal also highlighted the importance of federated and consent-based AI systems. These allow innovation to grow without centralising sensitive health data, helping protect patient privacy and build public confidence.
The hackathon was organised by the NHA along with the ICMR-National Institute for Research in Digital Health and Data Science and IIT Kanpur. It ran from January 19 to January 24, 2026, and focused on creating secure, scalable, and privacy-friendly Digital Public Goods for Health AI.
Senior officials and experts, including IIT Kanpur Director Manindra Agrawal and Uttar Pradesh health secretary Ritu Maheshwari, spoke about the role of technology and research institutions in strengthening India’s digital health ecosystem.
Former NHA CEO Dr. R.S. Sharma said interoperable digital public infrastructure is essential for secure and citizen-focused health data systems. SarvamAI CEO Vivek Raghavan added that high-quality data, strong privacy safeguards, and indigenous open-source AI models are crucial for effective and independent AI adoption in India.
Overall, speakers agreed that responsible, inclusive, and secure AI development will shape the future of healthcare in the country.
