Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda at the India AI Impact Summit on February 17, 2026 Photo: X/@MoHFW_INDIA
Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda on Tuesday launched two digital health initiatives—SAHI (Secure AI for Health Initiative) and BODH (Benchmarking Open Data Platform for Health AI)—during the India AI Impact Summit 2026.
“The launch marks a milestone in advancing safe, ethical, and evidence-based deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in India’s healthcare ecosystem,” the Ministry said in a release.
India AI Summit 2026 Day 2 updates on February 17, 2026
The Minister said that AI does not operate in isolation, but thrives on strong digital infrastructure and high-quality data. He noted that the National Health Policy, 2017, envisaged the creation of a comprehensive digital health ecosystem that would be interoperable, inclusive, and scalable.
“Building on this vision, the government launched the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) in 2020 to establish a robust digital public architecture for healthcare,” he said.
Describing SAHI as not merely a technology strategy but a governance framework, policy compass, and national roadmap for the responsible use of AI in healthcare, Mr. Nadda said that SAHI would guide India in leveraging AI in an ethical, transparent, accountable, and people-centric manner.
Additionally, collaboration between the government and academia has led to the development of BODH, which provides a structured mechanism to test and validate AI solutions before large-scale deployment.
“AI solutions must be rigorously evaluated for performance, reliability, and real-world readiness. Together, SAHI and BODH represent India’s commitment to building a trustworthy, inclusive, and globally competitive health AI ecosystem grounded in innovation, responsibility, and public trust,” he said.
Published – February 17, 2026 07:55 pm IST
