Union Minister Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar recently highlighted India's immense potential to emerge as a "living laboratory" for the world, capable of developing high-quality, scalable solutions and spearheading digital transformation within the healthcare sector. Speaking at the inaugural ETHealthworld's FutureMed X - The Smart Patient Care Summit, the Minister of State for Communications & Ministry of Rural Development emphasized that India's large and diverse population base provides a unique environment for innovating and validating healthcare models that can be scaled globally.

Dr. Chandra Sekhar stressed that by leveraging existing evidence and fostering collaboration between entrepreneurs and the government, India can not only ensure its citizens receive healthcare services meeting global quality standards but also offer these successful models to the rest of the world. He noted that the country is already making significant strides, with record investments in medical education bringing it closer to achieving the World Health Organization's (WHO) optimal number of doctors. Furthermore, the integration of telemedicine has played a crucial role in significantly boosting access to healthcare services across the nation.

The Union Minister encouraged entrepreneurs to explore innovative business models designed to address prevalent healthcare challenges. He specifically cited examples such as drone-based delivery of essential medicines and the deployment of mobile vans equipped with trained MBBS doctors and physicians, demonstrating a forward-thinking approach to last-mile connectivity and service delivery. Advocating for national self-reliance in healthcare, Dr. Chandra Sekhar underlined the necessity for India to develop its own robust systems, with a particular focus on investing in primary and preventive care.

He concluded by outlining a comprehensive strategy to overcome existing healthcare challenges, which includes leveraging the nation's burgeoning digital infrastructure, implementing judicious price controls, and engaging in effective workforce planning. The FutureMed X - The Smart Patient Care Summit itself was conceptualized to facilitate discussions on critical advancements like AI-driven diagnostics, IoT-enabled healthcare, telemedicine, and data-driven decision-making. These areas are seen as pivotal in paving the way for a more intelligent, interconnected, and patient-centric healthcare ecosystem in India and beyond.