Healthcare is fast emerging as not just a moral imperative, but a smart investment — a message India emphatically underscored at Davos 2026. World Economic Forum (WEF) speakers reminded leaders that “health is the world’s best investment” and that digital systems and prevention unlock major economic and social gains.

India illustrated this vividly. For example, its Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) — a massive, public digital health platform — has already enrolled over 834 million citizens with ABHA health IDs, linked 787 million health records, and connected nearly 438,000 facilities and 738,000 providers. Such scale makes India a trailblazer in digital health — WEF’s Shyam Bishen noted that ABDM “is emerging as a global template for scalable, interoperable and affordable healthcare systems”.

In short, India is proving that upgrading hospitals and clinics with interoperable digital foundations yields real returns: fewer hospital admissions, higher workforce productivity and big cost savings over time.

Multiplying impact through public–private partnerships

India’s private sector has matched this vision with innovation. Leading hospital groups demonstrated how telemedicine and AI can reach rural communities. Apollo Hospitals, for instance, delivered 1.2 million teleconsultations in 2024 and deployed 20 certified AI tools across diagnostics and care, extending specialist services far beyond big cities.

Apollo’s AI-assisted cardiac care program reduced intensive care unit stays by over a third and lowered mortality among high-risk patients. Its tele-dispensary model in Madhya Pradesh (the Apollo–ATC Digital Dispensary, recognized by UHC2030) has dramatically lowered per-visit costs and improved access for women and underserved communities.

These examples — enabled by India’s digital health backbone — show how public–private partnerships can multiply impact. Bishen echoed this, saying India’s government is collaborating with Apollo and other innovators to spread these breakthroughs globally.

India’s contributions to Davos

One striking Indian initiative at Davos was the Dettol Hygiene Loyalty Card, launched under the “Dettol Banega Swasth India” campaign. This first-ever child-centric loyalty program turns routine hygiene habits into rewards, nudging healthy behavior in schools across India.

Presented to the world at WEF 2026, the card program targets 40 million children in 1.4 million schools. By earning “Swasth Coins” for handwashing, sanitation and other simple acts, kids build lifelong habits that “strengthen both personal and community health”. Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC (Dettol’s maker) emphasized that this novel social-impact program — often dubbed “hygiene as a currency of trust” — can now serve as a model for other countries as well. India’s deft blend of behavioral science, digital tracking and community outreach (with parents and schools) turned a public health campaign into a gamified movement.

Innovation also flowed from India’s states. Telangana used Davos to unveil its ambitious Next-Gen Life Sciences Policy (2026–30). Chief Minister Revanth Reddy announced that Telangana will become one of the top three life-sciences clusters in the world by 2030, building a $250 billion health and pharma economy.

This plan builds on Telangana’s strengths — the state already produces 40% of India’s pharmaceuticals and one-third of global vaccines (earning Hyderabad the nickname “Vaccine Capital of the World”). New infrastructure like a “Green Pharma City,” specialty pharma villages and advanced biomanufacturing hubs (e.g., the “1Bio” Genome Valley facility) will attract global research and development (R&D) and sustainable manufacturing.

Officials noted the Davos launch will connect Telangana’s innovators with international investors and research partners, strengthening high-value collaborations in biotech and medtech. In sum, India presented a holistic growth strategy: linking life-science R&D, cutting-edge manufacturing and startup incubation under one vision.

A united push for health equity

India’s contributions to Davos sat alongside other global health efforts, underscoring a united push for health equity. WEF sessions highlighted that nearly 4.6 billion people still lack essential health services, and that about 2.1 billion people face financial hardship due to healthcare costs. These gaps demand scalable solutions.

For context, forum speakers pointed to innovations worldwide — from Philips’ smartphone-based HeartPrint for affordable heart screening in India (reaching 250,000 people) to Northwell Health’s community-led care models in Guyana. What stood out was how India’s work dovetails with these aims: interoperable digital IDs, AI tools and prevention programs all fight wasteful spending and improve access.

The WEF commentary concluded that redirecting resources to “high-return investments” like digital infrastructure, prevention and cross-sector collaboration will bridge these gaps. India’s track record of doing just that — treating health spending as growth capital, not charity — offers a blueprint for other nations.

Key Indian highlights from Davos 2026

• Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission: Connected 834 million people, 787 million records and hundreds of thousands of providers via a national health data network.
• Telehealth & AI: Apollo’s nationwide teleconsults (1.2 million in 2024) and AI diagnostics expanded care to smaller towns.
• Child Hygiene Innovation: The Dettol Hygiene Loyalty Card – deployed to 40 million students – which turns good habits into rewards.
• Life Sciences Growth: Telangana’s new policy to build a $250 billion pharma hub, doubling as an investment showcase for global partners.
• Public–Private Health Partnerships: New alliances (Government of India, states like Telangana, Apollo, Reckitt/Dettol, etc.) aligning to scale solutions across Asia and beyond

This Indian-led momentum is hopeful and forward-looking. By framing health as a driver of prosperity and resilience, not merely a cost center, India is helping rewrite the playbook on global health. The Davos dialogue showed that when governments, businesses and communities unite — investing in digital IDs, AI-enabled care and prevention programs — everyone wins. 

India’s role as a Global South pathfinder was clear: its innovations can help tens of millions of people in low- and middle-income countries gain better access to care. As one WEF leader put it, India’s example is already “a trailblazer” that the world is watching.

Looking ahead, the challenge is to spread these successes. The WEF calls for channeling more funding into proven, high-impact areas. India’s Davos showcase offers exactly those solutions — from e-health IDs to clean-tech pharma cities — and a spirit of collaboration. With sustained public–private partnerships and global sharing of best practices, India’s Davos initiatives could help light the way to more equitable health for all, fulfilling the Forum’s theme of “A Spirit of Dialogue” with action. 

[The views expressed in this Op-Ed are the author’s personal views and do not represent any institution or agency.]

[Kaitlyn Diana edited this piece.]

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy.