AMCHAM India organized the 3rd Healthcare Summit with the theme ‘Advancing Healthcare for Viksit Bharat 2047: Innovation to Impact’ on April 24th at the Hyatt Regency, New Delhi. In the inaugural session, Ms. Ranjana Khanna, Director General CEO, AMCHAM, warmly welcomed participants and set the tone for the day. Mr. Chaitanya Sarawate, Vice Chairman, AMCHAM, Chairman – Medical Device Committee, AMCHAM, President & CEO, GE Healthcare South Asia and Managing Director, Wipro GE Healthcare, in his opening remarks, providing context for the summit and highlighting the critical role of innovation in building a resilient healthcare ecosystem. Ms. Genessa Giorgi, HHS Health Attaché and Regional Representative, South Asia, U.S. Embassy, in her special address, underscored the importance of U.S.-India collaboration in healthcare innovation and delivery. Mr. Narendra Nath Gangavarapu, Joint Secretary, National Security Council Secretariat, Government of India, delivered a special address on ‘Securing Healthcare in the Digital Age’ emphasizing the growing importance of cyber security and resilience in healthcare systems. The inaugural address was delivered through a video message by Mr. Jagat Prakash Nadda, Hon’ble Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, who emphasized the government’s vision and commitment towards achieving a Viksit Bharat 2047 through healthcare transformation. Ms. Neelima Dwivedi, Executive Director, Public Policy, Corporate Communications & Market Access, MSD Pharmaceuticals, delivered the concluding remarks and summarizing key insights from the inaugural session. 

Session 1: Innovation Led Healthcare – The Next Frontier opened with a Keynote Address by Dr. Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary, Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor, Government of India. Dr. Maini shared her vision for transforming healthcare in India, emphasizing the growing focus on affordable and accessible healthcare. She highlighted that innovation in healthcare today is not just about molecules and machines, but increasingly about models and methods. In the panel discussion that followed, Dr. Suchita Markan, Scientist E, Mission In-Charge, Medical Device and Diagnostics Mission Secretariat (MDMS) & Head, Innovation and Translation Research (ITR) Unit, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, spoke about barriers to innovation access. She emphasized the need for greater handholding for innovators, challenges around regulatory compliance, and the difficulties innovators face in conducting robust clinical studies. Ms. Genessa Giorgi, HHS Health Attaché and Regional Representative, South Asia, U.S. Embassy, addressed U.S.-India collaboration for strengthening the startup ecosystem. She noted that the goal of achieving $500 billion in bilateral trade by 2050 envisions expanded cooperation in healthcare, particularly in telemedicine, digital health, radiation innovation, and clinical resource optimization. Dr. Sonali Rawal, Health Policy Specialist, NITI Aayog, stressed the importance of building effective partnerships to drive healthcare innovation and highlighted the need to strengthen the MedTech Mitra initiative by linking it more closely with academia. Ms. Jyotsna Ghoshal, Enterprise Lead, Government Affairs and Policy, and India Community Impact, Johnson & Johnson, spoke about regulatory convergence and praised India’s joining of the IMDRF (International Medical Device Regulators Forum). She also emphasized the importance of regulatory data protection and noted that operationalizing reference countries could expedite innovation access without repetitive clinical trials. Mr. Pankaj Vyas, Senior Director, SGTC-R&D, Stryker, discussed the rapid adoption of AI and robotics in healthcare, especially in surgical operations while highlighting the need for patient capital to sustain innovation. Mr. Ajay Bagga, Managing Director India & Country Head – South Asia, Zimmer India, pointed out that incremental innovation is often overlooked. He called for reforms in India’s patent laws to include utility models (as in other countries) and suggested providing small financial grants and tax incentives for innovators. He also stressed the need to integrate incremental innovation into procurement policies. The session was moderated by Dr. Vibhav Garg, Director – Health Economics & Government Affairs for India Subcontinent & ASEAN, Boston Scientific. 

Session 2: Aatma Nirbhar Bharat 2047: Strengthening India’s Healthcare Ecosystem was moderated by Ms. Shobha Mishra Ghosh, Director & Head, Government Affairs & Policy, India & South Asia, GE Healthcare. She emphasized that healthcare is the cornerstone of any country’s journey toward becoming a developed nation. She highlighted four key pillars driving India’s healthcare ecosystem: Ayushman Bharat, Aatmanirbhar Bharat, Anusandhan National Research Foundation and Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). Ms. Ghosh outlined the vision of achieving economic resilience, leveraging advanced technologies, and maximizing the demographic dividend. She also pointed out the critical issue of major import dependency in the MedTech sector. The panel of experts shared their perspectives. Mr. Sohag Sen, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, discussed the Ministry’s strategy for maintaining supply chain resilience amid global geopolitical shifts. He emphasized that India is adapting to these changes by negotiating bilateral trade agreements, including one with the U.S. He stressed that beyond self-reliance, India is keen to build deeper partnerships for co-innovation, co-production, and shared market opportunities. Dr. K. Madan Gopal, Advisor – Public Health Administration, NHSRC, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, highlighted that the key challenge is not just the cost of devices, but the affordability for hospitals. Despite the availability of numerous medical devices, there remains a gap in meeting healthcare demands. Dr. Manish Diwan, Mission Director – Make in India for Biotech Sector and Head – BioFoundry at BIRAC, spoke about how biotech innovation is advancing the ‘Make in India’ initiative for MedTech and pharma. He encouraged U.S. companies to collaborate meaningfully with BIRAC. Dr. Diwan also noted that India’s bioeconomy aims to reach $300 billion by 2030, contributing about 10% to the GDP. He emphasized boosting thematic sectors such as bio-based chemicals, functional foods, precision biotherapeutics, climate-resilient agriculture, carbon capture, and futuristic marine and space research. Dr. Taruna Madan, Scientist G and Head, Division of Development Research, ICMR, shared about initiatives like MedTech Mitra — a portal to enhance industry-government collaboration. She highlighted that ICMR facilitates innovators from the ideation stage, with over 400 applications received last year, providing regulatory and application support within its ecosystem. Dr. Rimy Khurana, Project Director, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, emphasized that while India has the third-largest start-up ecosystem, only about 10% succeed in developing prototypes. She advocated for a systems approach to healthcare, focusing not just on point-of-care innovations but on population health management, reducing healthcare costs, and supporting healthcare providers and the workforce. She stressed the need for robust public-private-philanthropic partnerships and keeping the patient at the center of healthcare reforms.  The discussion underscored India’s vision and aspiration to become a developed nation by 2047. Healthcare was recognized as a fundamental pillar for economic growth. The session also addressed how global uncertainties impact the four key pillars of India’s healthcare system as defined by the Hon’ble Prime Minister. 

Session 3: Accelerating Ease of Doing Business: Simplifying Regulations and Improving the Business Environment was moderated by Mr. Sudhakar Mairpadi, Director, Government Affairs, Regulatory, South Asia, Becton Dickinson India. The panel of experts shared the following key insights: Mr. Aditya Das, Scientist E, Head – Medical Equipment and Hospital Planning Department, Bureau of Indian Standards, highlighted the importance of standardization in simplifying regulatory processes. He noted that simplified and harmonized standards serve as effective tools for regulators and help ease the complexity often associated with compliance. Mr. Anuranjan Prasad, Associate General Counsel, Asia, Baxter, stressed the need for simplified policies and guidelines, incorporation of industry feedback, and a collaborative approach between government and industry. He highlighted that intellectual property (IP) laws remain a challenge in India and called for greater simplification in regulatory compliance. Mr. Sharad Mi. Shukla, Director, Regulatory Affairs (Head – Regulatory Affairs SEA, APAC Regulatory Affairs Policy Lead), Johnson & Johnson MedTech, discussed the challenges associated with long registration timelines and emphasized the need for better risk categorization of medical devices. He advocated for a more agile regulatory system that keeps pace with technological advancements while maintaining the safety and efficacy of medical devices. Mr. Praveen Singh Chauhan, Country Manager, India Commercial, Viatris, spoke about the necessity for clear regulatory guidelines, enhanced information sharing, and mutual recognition between state and central authorities. He also highlighted the importance of good coordination for medicine supply, nomination of state representatives, and early procurement initiatives to ensure continuity of care for diseases. 

Mr. Chaitanya Sarawate, Vice Chairman, AMCHAM and Chairman – Medical Devices Committee, AMCHAM delivered concluding remarks for the summit. He thanked all participants and announced that immediately following the program there was a closed-door interaction with Mr. Jonathan Heimer, Honorary National Executive Board Member, AMCHAM and Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs, U.S. Embassy. The summit was supported by: Diamond Partner: Viatris, Silver Partners: BD, GE Healthcare, MSD, Bronze Partner: Baxter and Supporting Partners: Bausch & Lomb, Boston Scientific, Edwards, Johnson & Johnson, Stryker, Zimmer Biomet. More than 110 representatives from member companies participated.