The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda, will launch two significant national initiatives—the Strategy for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare for India (SAHI) and the Benchmarking Open Data Platform for Health AI (BODH)—at the India AI Summit at Bharat Mandapam today. With this move, the government aims to accelerate the safe and structured adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across India’s healthcare system.
SAHI: A National Framework for Responsible AI in Healthcare
To begin with, the Strategy for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare for India (SAHI) will serve as a comprehensive national guidance framework. It will enable the safe, ethical, evidence-based, and inclusive use of AI in healthcare delivery.
Specifically, SAHI will provide strategic direction on governance, data stewardship, validation processes, deployment standards, and ongoing monitoring of AI solutions. At the same time, it will support States and healthcare institutions in adopting AI responsibly while aligning innovation with public health priorities. By establishing clear guidelines, SAHI seeks to ensure that AI strengthens healthcare outcomes without compromising safety, equity, or accountability.
BODH: Strengthening Trust Through Privacy-Preserving Benchmarking
In parallel, the government will introduce the Benchmarking Open Data Platform for Health AI (BODH). Developed by the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in collaboration with the National Health Authority, BODH will function as a privacy-preserving benchmarking platform.
Importantly, BODH will allow developers and institutions to rigorously evaluate AI models using diverse, real-world health data—without sharing the underlying datasets. This approach will protect patient privacy while ensuring robust model validation. Furthermore, as a digital public good under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, the platform will enhance trust, transparency, and quality assurance in the deployment of Health AI solutions nationwide.
Advancing India’s Health AI Ecosystem
As reported by pib.gov.in, together, SAHI and BODH represent a major milestone in India’s digital health journey. By combining policy guidance with technical benchmarking infrastructure, the initiatives will create a strong foundation for a responsible, scalable, and globally competitive Health AI ecosystem.
Through these coordinated efforts, India aims to harness AI innovation while safeguarding patient rights, strengthening regulatory oversight, and improving healthcare delivery across the country.