New Delhi : Ahead of Doctor’s Day, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh, said India is steadily emerging as a global hub for next-generation healthcare by advancing precision medicine, gene therapy, nuclear medicine and other cutting-edge technologies.
Addressing a special Doctors’ Day Conclave, Dr. Singh, himself a physician and diabetologist, said the future of healthcare lies in precision medicine, where treatments are tailored to an individual’s genetic profile, lifestyle and environmental factors. He said this approach would enable more accurate diagnoses, targeted therapies and improved patient outcomes.
Highlighting India’s unique strengths, the Minister said the country’s vast genetic diversity and varied disease profile provide an unprecedented opportunity to develop indigenous healthcare solutions based on Indian data for Indian patients, while also contributing affordable innovations to global healthcare.
Dr. Singh said the Genome India Mission has already sequenced the genomes of more than 10,000 individuals and is working towards building one of the world’s largest genomic databases. He noted that the initiative would strengthen research on genetic disorders, rare diseases and personalised therapies.
The Minister also highlighted recent breakthroughs in gene therapy for haemophilia by Indian researchers, describing gene medicine and nuclear medicine as transformative technologies that will reshape disease management through highly targeted treatments.
Emphasising the growing role of Artificial Intelligence in healthcare, Dr. Singh said AI is accelerating genome analysis, disease diagnosis, biomedical research, medical education and telemedicine. He added that technology-driven healthcare models are improving access to specialist medical services in remote parts of the country.
Referring to policy reforms, the Minister said the Anusandhan National Research Foundation has strengthened India’s research ecosystem by promoting multidisciplinary collaboration across science, social sciences, humanities and traditional knowledge systems. He also noted that reforms are encouraging greater collaboration between government institutions, academia and the private sector in areas such as nuclear medicine.
Dr. Singh said India is witnessing a shift from manufacturing medicines developed abroad to discovering and developing new drugs through indigenous research and innovation. He cited the development of India’s first indigenously researched antibiotics for drug-resistant infections as a milestone in the country’s pharmaceutical sector.
He further said initiatives such as the BioE3 Policy and the Bio-RIDE Mission are accelerating biotechnology research, bio-manufacturing and medical innovation while strengthening partnerships among research institutions, academia, startups and industry. India’s medical devices sector, he added, is also producing globally competitive technologies.
Highlighting healthcare reforms, Dr. Singh described Ayushman Bharat as one of the world’s largest public health assurance programmes and said its expansion, along with new medical colleges, digital health infrastructure and telemedicine services, is improving access to quality healthcare across India.
Calling preventive healthcare the next national priority, the Minister stressed the need for early detection and regular screening to address the rising burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cancer and fatty liver disease, particularly among younger people.
Dr. Singh said India’s growing achievements in genomics, biotechnology, indigenous vaccines and precision medicine have strengthened its global reputation as a provider of affordable, high-quality healthcare. He expressed confidence that continued investments in science, innovation and collaborative research would establish India as a global leader in next-generation healthcare.