The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare launched two major digital health initiatives—SAHI and BODH—on February 17 during the India AI Impact Summit 2026 held in New Delhi.
These initiatives aim to promote safe, ethical, and effective use of artificial intelligence in healthcare across India.
SAHI: Strategy for AI in Healthcare
SAHI (Strategy for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare for India) has been designed as a comprehensive framework to guide the responsible adoption of AI in the health sector.
Key Features of SAHI
- Promotes secure, interoperable, and trustworthy AI solutions
- Encourages collaboration among healthcare institutions, tech developers, researchers, and policymakers
- Ensures AI tools meet strict safety, efficacy, and ethical standards
- Provides a governance and knowledge-sharing platform
- Includes safeguards for patient data protection and algorithm accountability
SAHI aims to build public trust in health AI while ensuring that innovations align with national health priorities.
BODH: Benchmarking Open Data Platform for Health AI
BODH (Benchmarking Open Data Platform for Health AI) has been developed by Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in collaboration with National Health Authority.
Key Functions of BODH
- Evaluates AI models using anonymized real-world health datasets
- Assesses performance, robustness, bias, and generalizability
- Ensures AI systems are reliable before large-scale deployment
- Establishes national benchmarking standards
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