Health Minister JP Nadda launched SAHI (Secure AI for Health Initiative) and BODH (Benchmarking Open Data Platform for Health AI) during the AI Impact Summit on Tuesday. The two platforms aim to advance safe, ethical and evidence-based deployment of AI in India’s healthcare ecosystem.The initiative will facilitate collaboration among healthcare institutions, technology developers, researchers and policymakers to ensure that AI tools meet rigorous standards of safety, efficacy and ethical compliance prior to large-scale adoption.The platforms will also serve as a knowledge-sharing and governance hub, promoting best practices in health AI development and implementation, with strong safeguards for patient data protection and algorithmic accountability.Developed by IIT, Kanpur, in collaboration with the National Health Authority, BODH will enable systematic evaluation of AI models using diverse, anonymised real-world health datasets.…It is designed to assess performance, robustness, bias and generalisability of AI systems before their deployment at population scale. By institutionalizing benchmarking standards, BODH aims to ensure that AI solutions are reliable, clinically relevant, and aligned with national public health priorities.Nadda emphasized that AI does not operate in isolation, but thrives on strong digital infrastructure and high-quality data.Union Health Secretary Punya Salila remarked the launch of SAHI and BODH as a significant step in advancing the application of AI in healthcare. SAHI, she said, represents a long-term policy commitment of the government and provides a common framework for the Centre and state governments, as well as private partners, to guide AI evaluation, adoption, and integration within the healthcare ecosystem.Dr Catharina Boehme, Officer-in-Charge, World Health Organization South-East Asia Regional Office, stated that the strategy had been designed to strengthen healthcare delivery, improve decision-making and extend the reach of services to underserved populations. She emphasised that the approach reflects a simple but powerful principle — innovation must strengthen systems, expand access, and build trust.…Nadda stated that sustained efforts have led to the creation of a strong digital public infrastructure in health. “Interoperable systems have been enabled across platforms, and large-scale, consent-based health data frameworks are being developed to empower citizens while ensuring data privacy and security,” he said.The Minister also underlined the transformative potential of AI in pharmaceuticals and life sciences. “AI-driven tools can accelerate drug discovery, shorten research timelines, enhance clinical trial precision, and make research processes more cost-effective, thereby strengthening affordable healthcare delivery,” he said.Srivastava further highlighted that BODH will play a critical role in ensuring that AI tools used by clinicians are safe, reliable, and validated against real-world parameters before deployment. She stressed that trust, safety, and accountability must remain central to India’s health AI journey.
