A side event titled 'From Digital Health Records to AI-Enabled Healthcare: Strengthening the Continuum of Care Through Interoperable Data Infrastructure and Responsible Artificial Intelligence' was organized by National Health Authority, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare during the 16th BRICS Health Ministers' Meeting. The event aimed to discuss the transformative role of digital health infrastructure and responsible AI in delivering seamless, patient-centric healthcare.
On July 24, 2026, as part of the 16th BRICS Health Ministers' Meeting, a side event titled 'From Digital Health Records to AI-Enabled Healthcare: Strengthening the Continuum of Care Through Interoperable Data Infrastructure and Responsible Artificial Intelligence' was organized by the National Health Authority, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The event brought together policymakers, technical experts, and health leaders from BRICS countries to deliberate on the transformative role of digital health infrastructure and responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) in delivering seamless, patient-centric healthcare.
The dialogue was anchored in the findings of the BRICS Health Track Technical Working Group 4 (TWG-4) Compendium on Continuum of Care, which underscores the importance of coordinated and uninterrupted health service delivery across different levels of care, healthcare providers, and BRICS member states. The Compendium highlights that while continuity of care remains a shared policy objective, its effective implementation is often constrained by the lack of interoperable digital health infrastructure capable of supporting seamless exchange of health information across the patient care journey.
In her keynote address, Union Health Secretary Smt. Punya Salila Srivastava emphasised that continuity of care lies at the heart of every health system and is crucial for achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC). She stated that health cooperation remains one of the strongest pillars of the BRICS partnership, founded on mutual learning, shared innovation, and a common commitment to achieving UHC. Srivastava added that India's Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission has made significant progress in creating a federated Digital Public Infrastructure for health, with over 940 million ABHA IDs created, unique digital identities issued to more than one million healthcare professionals and over five lakh health facilities.
She also highlighted India's recently launched SAHI (Strategic Framework for AI in Healthcare), unveiled during the AI India Impact Summit earlier this year, which provides a framework for the responsible adoption of AI to strengthen healthcare delivery while ensuring ethics, transparency, safety, and citizen trust.
During the event, Chief Executive Officer, National Health Authority (NHA), Shri Sunil Kumar Barnwal delivered a detailed presentation on the BRICS Technical Working Group-4 (TWG-4) Compendium on Digital Health Architecture for Continuum of Care, outlining its key findings and recommendations.
Source:
Press Information Bureau
