This doctors' day, a look at what Indian healthcare needs

Indian Express

12 hours ago

We observed National Doctors' Day on July 1. It's a day when we come together to honour our healers and reflect on the profound role they play in shaping people's health in India. From small clinics providing primary care in rural areas to state-of-the-art super-speciality centres of excellence in metros, Indian doctors have consistently demonstrated their ability to lead with intelligence, skill, and compassion.
Having spent a lifetime dedicated to healthcare, I have been privileged to witness the transformation brought about over the decades by medical professionals. Their ability to combine clinical acumen with adaptive innovation, while keeping pace with advances in medical science and technology, has helped raise the standards of care across the country. Today, Indian doctors are recognised globally for their competence and commitment to advancing the science and art of healing.
We have come a long way since the days when the approach to healthcare was largely reactive. Today, a growing number of institutions and clinicians are embracing a more proactive, preventive, pro-health approach. This shift is vital. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) now account for a significant share of the nation's disease burden. With NCDs causing around 63 per cent of all fatalities in the country, prevention is an imperative. Early detection, timely intervention, and ongoing monitoring are becoming the new normal. Programmes that combine diagnostics, digital tools, and health risk profiling are helping individuals take charge of their health.
This transformation is being driven by Indian doctors who are pioneering new models of care. Minimally invasive AI-enhanced robotic surgeries offering greater precision, personalised and precision medicine for conditions such as cancer, AI-assisted diagnostics, and remote monitoring are becoming integral to modern healthcare. Doctors across the country are embracing such advances without losing sight of the human touch. Technology may guide and enhance skills, but it is the doctor's knowledge and skill that heals.
In recent years, we have also seen remarkable improvement in access to quality healthcare. Across India, new hospitals are coming up and public-private partnerships are upgrading district hospitals and smaller centres. Last-mile clinics powered by telemedicine are reaching previously underserved people. Digital health platforms are enhancing patient engagement, overcoming geographical barriers, and facilitating remote monitoring and evaluation. While the brick-and-mortar infrastructure and digital systems do make a difference, it is the doctor inside bringing it all to life.
Within the Apollo Group, our dedicated team of doctors has touched over 200 million lives from over 150 countries and continues to touch millions of lives each year. India is the leading source of immigrant doctors in the US. From emergency medicine to preventive health, from cardiology and cancer care to neurosciences, organ transplants and other specialities, and from mother and child care to geriatric services, their contribution is immeasurable. They not only treat disease, but also educate patients' families, mentor young professionals, and lead the charge against NCDs.
India is often called the 'diabetes capital', 'cancer capital' and 'chronic heart disease capital'. We must erase this reputation and work to become known as the 'health capital of the world', not only through medical value travel or digital innovation but through our doctors' excellence. We must empower our doctors with continuing medical education and train them to use clinical digital tools. Investments in technology and infrastructure are important, but it's equally vital to value ethics, lifelong learning, and caregivers' well-being.
On National Doctors' Day, I extend my deepest gratitude to every doctor who has chosen the path of healing. Let us support our doctors by giving them the space to innovate, the freedom to grow, and the recognition they deserve. In nurturing our doctors, we nurture the health of the nation as we move forward to achieve the vision of a Swasth Viksit Bharat.
The writer is founder-chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group