Archive · 15 Aug 2026
India's healthcare journey from scarcity to smart care
When India became independent in 1947, it did not have many hospitals, doctors, or medicines.
Over 79 years, the country worked hard to build a better healthcare system through vaccination campaigns and disease-control programmes.
India eradicated smallpox in 1977 and was certified polio-free by the WHO in 2014.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, India made vaccines and medicines and even helped other countries in need.
Today, telemedicine lets patients talk to doctors without visiting a hospital, and the eSanjeevani platform has helped more than 45 crore people.
Health records are now digital through the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, so doctors can easily access patient information.
Hospitals are also increasingly using robotic-assisted surgery.
The government launched the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme in 2018 to help economically vulnerable families get hospital care, covering more than 12 crore hospitalisations by June 2026.
India's healthcare system is growing stronger as the country looks toward its development goals for 2047.
India's healthcare system has transformed over 79 years of independence, from severe shortages in 1947 to digital health, telemedicine, and robotic surgery today.
India eradicated smallpox in 1977 and was certified polio-free by the WHO in 2014.
Medical colleges have more than doubled and 12 new AIIMS have become functional since 2014.
The government's eSanjeevani telemedicine platform has benefited more than 45 crore patients as of March 2026.
The Ayushman Bharat programme, launched in 2018, has covered over 12 crore hospitalisations for economically vulnerable families by June 2026.
- Who
- India's government, healthcare workers, and patients across the country
- What
- India's healthcare transformation from post-independence scarcity to digital health, telemedicine, health insurance, and robotic-assisted surgery
- When
- Independence Day 2026, marking 79 years since India's independence in 1947
- Where
- India
- Why
- To build a health system almost from the ground up after independence and because the strength of the health system is central to India's development ambitions as it approaches 2047
- Years since independence
- 79 (since 1947)
- Smallpox eradication
- 1977
- Polio-free certification
- 2014, by the WHO
- New functional AIIMS since 2014
- 12
- eSanjeevani telemedicine beneficiaries
- Over 45 crore patients (as of March 2026)
- Ayushman Bharat launch year
- 2018
- Hospitalisations covered under Ayushman Bharat
- Over 12 crore (by June 2026)
- Digital health mission
- Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission