Context:

Recently, India has officially joined the HealthAI Global Regulatory Network (GRN), marking a crucial step in the global movement towards the responsible, safe, and effective use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare. 

About HealthAI Global Regulatory Network (GRN):

The HealthAI GRN is a Geneva-based independent non-profit organization that brings together health regulators worldwide to ensure that AI technologies in healthcare are used safely, ethically, and effectively.

 Key goals of the GRN include:

·         Building trust and transparency in AI-powered health innovations,

·         Improving safety through shared protocols and joint oversight,

·         Accelerating responsible innovation via global collaboration and regulatory harmonization,

·         Providing a global directory of registered AI health tools,

·         Issuing early warnings on emerging technological risks.

The GRN promotes equitable access to AI technologies and aims to create a trusted global ecosystem for digital health tools.

India’s Role in the GRN:

• • India will participate in sharing best practices, monitoring protocols, and regulatory knowledge to improve AI governance in health.
  • The Indian Council of Medical Research – National Institute for Research in Digital Health and Data Science (ICMR–NIRDHDS) and IndiaAI will lead the national collaboration.

Global and National Significance:

• • India’s participation comes at a time when AI is rapidly transforming healthcare—from diagnostics to treatment planning. Yet, the absence of harmonized regulations has raised concerns about data privacy, algorithmic bias, and patient safety. GRN provides a critical platform to address these issues collectively.
  • As AI in healthcare scales up, India’s leadership in this domain not only enhances global regulatory capacity but also ensures that AI-driven solutions align with the country's unique healthcare challenges.

About ICMR-NIRDHDS

The ICMR-National Institute for Research in Digital Health and Data Science (NIRDHDS) is one of the 26 permanent institutes of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi.

·        Renamed on April 10, 2024, it evolved from the National Institute for Research in Medical Statistics (NIMS).

·        NIRDHDS plays a key role in digital health and data science, supporting research in epidemiology, disease surveillance, nutrition, RCH, cancer, and public health.

About INDIAai:

INDIAai began as a project in 2021 and was established as an independent business division under the Digital India Corporation (DIC) in 2023. It serves as India’s centralized knowledge hub for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its allied fields, marking a major step in integrating AI into everyday life.

Conclusion:

India’s inclusion in the HealthAI GRN is a strategic move toward global AI leadership in healthcare. It showcases India’s commitment to responsible AI governance, while promoting safer, inclusive, and more efficient digital health systems—both domestically and globally.