India’s rapidly growing digital health ecosystem has received international recognition, with Dr. Ali Jafarian, Iran’s Deputy Minister of Health, describing it as a model that could guide Iran’s own healthcare digital transformation.
At the National Health Authority (NHA) pavilion, Dr. Jafarian praised India for building an integrated national platform for health data despite the enormous challenges associated with its high population and diverse healthcare system.
Dr Ali Jafarian, Iran’s Deputy Minister of Health, said that despite India’s vast population and complex healthcare landscape, the country has successfully developed an integrated national platform for health data. After visiting the National Health Authority pavilion, he said… pic.twitter.com/93byw3m4VX
— DD News (@DDNewslive) July 24, 2026
He said India's success in creating an integrated digital health infrastructure in a country with over a billion people shows the technological capability and policy-driven approach to healthcare modernization.
"Despite India's vast population and complex healthcare landscape, the country has successfully developed an integrated national platform for health data," Dr. Jafarian said after the visit.
The Iranian health official added that India’s digital health ecosystem could offer a useful reference for Iran as it pursues its own plans to modernize healthcare through digital technologies.
India has become one of the world’s most advanced adopters of digital public infrastructure in finance, governance, and healthcare sectors. The country has been working towards this by way of the National Health Authority through a joint digital health network that will be able to enable easy and reliable exchange of health information and improve access to medical services.
The country’s digital health initiatives aim to deliver seamless healthcare experiences by linking healthcare professionals, hospitals, laboratories, pharmacies, and insurers through common digital platforms. These systems are intended to improve efficiency, minimize paperwork, support continuity of care, and inform evidence-based policymakers.
The integrated health data platform can significantly enhance healthcare delivery by enabling quicker access to medical records, informing patient clinical decisions, and reducing unnecessary diagnostic tests and coordination among healthcare providers, officials say.
Dr. Jafarian’s comments highlight the growing international interest in India’s digital public infrastructure and its application in healthcare. India’s experience in building scalable digital platforms that combine technology, governance, and public service delivery has been looked at more and more by other countries.
Digital transformation has become a major priority of healthcare systems worldwide, and governments are investing in electronic health records, telemedicine, artificial intelligence, data analytics, and digital identity systems to improve patient care and administrative efficiency.
For countries like Iran, studying India’s experience could give us perspective about how to build secure, inclusive, and interoperable health information systems for populations that can cover large populations and protect their data integrity and accessibility.
The appreciation of Iran’s Deputy Health Minister also demonstrates India’s growing role in international cooperation in healthcare innovation and digital governance. So if India is able to offer best practices and technological knowledge to other countries that want to modernize their public health systems, then it will strengthen their partnership.
As healthcare systems throughout the world rapidly embrace digital technology, India's integrated health data platform is an example of how large-scale digital infrastructure can support improved healthcare delivery, better policy planning, and improved patient outcomes.
Dr. Jafarian’s endorsement further solidifies India’s position as an emerging global leader in digital health innovation and underscores the potential of its healthcare technology ecosystem to inspire similar reforms in other countries pursuing digital transformation.
