India’s healthcare priorities must move beyond treating disease to preventing it, with physical and mental well-being at the centre of the next phase of the country’s health strategy, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Jitendra Singh, has said.

 

“Wellness is not mere absence of disease”; the focus now has to be on preventive healthcare and physical and mental well-being, said Singh, at the Health & Wellness Summit 2026.

 

Singh said India’s understanding of health has broadened over the past decade, with greater emphasis on preventive care, Ayurveda, Yoga and wellness centres alongside modern medicine. A healthier younger population, he said, will be crucial to achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

 

India’s rising life expectancy has fundamentally changed the country’s health landscape, with lifestyle-related non-communicable diseases emerging as a growing challenge.

 

Singh noted that life expectancy at Independence was barely around 45 years. Today, Indians are living considerably longer, but conditions such as cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and other lifestyle-related illnesses are becoming increasingly prominent.

 

The shift, he said, means healthcare can no longer focus primarily on diagnosing and treating disease after it appears. Prevention, early detection and sustained well-being must become increasingly central to the system.

 

He pointed to the expansion of medical education and initiatives such as Ayushman Bharat as part of efforts to widen access to healthcare and reduce the financial burden of serious illness on families.

 

But with longer lifespans and changing disease patterns, the next challenge is to ensure that people do not simply live longer, but live healthier lives.

 

Singh also highlighted the role of science and technology in tackling emerging healthcare challenges, particularly through solutions that are affordable, accessible and adapted to local needs.

 

India’s scientific capabilities, he said, were demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Indian laboratories rapidly isolated and sequenced the SARS-CoV-2 genome, contributing to the development of indigenous vaccines.

 

The next step, he said, is to take scientific discoveries from laboratories to the wider population.

 

Translational research—bringing together medicine, science, technology and industry—can help turn research into affordable diagnostics, biosensors, drug-delivery technologies and other healthcare solutions.

 

Singh also stressed the importance of detecting inherited disorders early, particularly among newborns and pregnant women.

 

He cited UMMID (Unique Methods of Management and Treatment of Inherited Disorders) as an example of how scientific capabilities can strengthen early detection and management, reinforcing the role of prevention in India’s evolving healthcare strategy.

 

With the country’s demographic and disease profile changing rapidly, Singh said health priorities must evolve as well.

 

The larger goal, he said, should be an India where preventive healthcare and wellness are embedded in everyday life—and where a healthy population becomes a foundation for the country’s journey towards Viksit Bharat 2047.