Imagine a health monitor that need not be strapped to your wrist or carried in your pocket. It sits on the skin like a child’s temporary tattoo, its sensors tracking health parameters continuously. Professor Hossam Haick, who works at the intersection of chemical engineering and nanotechnology in Israel, is developing such a patch. If his timeline holds, it could reach the market in two to three years. What he is promising is intriguing: a future in which changes in our health can be tracked even before we feel unwell. According to Haick, who heads the Laboratory for Nanomaterial-Based Devices at the Israel Institute of Technology, there will come a time when we can detect diseases without the need for a needle or any other invasive techniques. His results, he says, have shown that dozens of medical conditions, including lung cancer, gastric cancer, infectious diseases as well as inflammatory diseases, can be detected in real-time.
Elsewhere, leading labs are researching ways to detect neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s 10 years before symptoms show. Early detection is key, but prevention is drawing equal attention. Japan, hailed by the World Health Organization in 2024 as “a champion of health and wellbeing at all ages”, is reaping the benefits of targeted preventive public health programmes and deep-rooted lifestyle habits. As of 2023, its ‘healthy life expectancy’—the number of years a person lives in full health without needing nursing care—is 72.2 years, well above India’s 60.6. According to OECD Health, Japan spends roughly 11.5 per cent of its GDP on health care; India spends around 1.43 per cent on public health care, with preventive care competing for limited resources.
“India is the world’s most populous country, and the need for preventive health care here is immense,” said Masaharu Morita, founder and programme director of NURA, an AI-powered health screening centre. Dr Punya Pratap Kujur, consultant cardiologist at Gleneagles Hospital, Parel, Mumbai, agrees. “Indians are genetically predisposed to developing coronary artery disease earlier than their western counterparts,” he said. He named diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidaemia (abnormal lipid levels) as the major conventional risk factors, with smoking and stress adding to the risk.
The case for prevention extends to economics. As per the World Economic Forum’s 2026 report ‘The Longevity Dividend: The Business Case for Linking Health and Wealth’, low-cost preventive interventions, one of which is increasing levels of physical activity, could unlock $5.8 trillion in health care savings and $645 billion in productivity gains globally by 2040. A McKinsey Health Institute study (with Future Health-A Global Initiative by Abu Dhabi) projects that eliminating behavioural, metabolic and environmental health risks could add 12 years to healthy life expectancy at birth and generate $16.4 trillion in annual global GDP by 2050. McKinsey, in its report on ‘Prioritizing health’, also finds that investments in preventive and primary care return $4 for every $1.
In India, urban households spend roughly 8 to 12 per cent of their income on direct medical and out-of-pocket expenses. According to ACKO India Health Insurance Index 2024, health care costs are rising 12 to 14 per cent a year, so a procedure that costs Rs2 lakh today could cost nearly double within five to six years.
Policy push
The National Health Policy of 2017 marked a shift towards a comprehensive approach, spanning preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative care. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly stressed on preventive and promotive health care, from fitness and yoga to expanding primary care through Ayushman Bharat. This March 13, Union Minister of State for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Dr Jitendra Singh called prevention the “future model” of India’s health care system. “India is entering a transformative era of personalised and precision medicine powered by genomics, artificial intelligence and advanced biotechnology, which will enable early detection of diseases and targeted treatment even before symptoms appear,” he said. He argued that wellness is much broader than the absence of disease and that preventive health care must be a national priority. “Preventive health care, particularly focusing on the younger population, will be the priority for India’s broader development ambitions to become a developed nation by 2047,” he said.
With a large proportion of the population below 40, public health experts believe the country’s future depends on whether younger generations stay healthy and productive. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, cancer and kidney failure are a growing concern. City-wise data from Apollo Hospitals’ Health of the Nation 2026 report, covering 5,80,847 screenings, shows that the NCD burden varies by geography. Diabetes prevalence ranged from 16 per cent in Mumbai to 36 per cent in both Madurai and Trichy, with Bengaluru and Delhi-NCR at 17 per cent each. Hypertension was highest in Kolkata (29 per cent), Guwahati (28 per cent) and Hyderabad (27 per cent). Differences in diet, lifestyle and access to care may shape these risks, underlining the need for preventive strategies that account for local disease patterns.
Addressing the World Congress of Gastroenterology in New Delhi this year, Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda called screening for NCDs an important pillar of preventive care. Through Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, people aged 30 and above are being screened for hypertension, diabetes and common cancers, including oral, breast and cervical cancers.
India’s demographics add urgency: a predominantly young population is expected to include a large elderly share by 2050. NCDs already account for 63 per cent of all deaths, even as the country grapples with tuberculosis, malaria and other infectious diseases. But as Nadda said, “The same country that was not taken seriously for its health care practices is today being hailed as a leader in preventive health care.”
Government programmes include the National Programme for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases and campaigns such as Eat Right India, Poshan Abhiyaan and Fit India Mission, which promote grassroots awareness and screening. Section 80D of the Income Tax Act (old regime) offers deductions of up to Rs5,000 for preventive health checkups for families.
The government’s push for preventive health care in rural India relies heavily on Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), the first point-of-contact between communities and the public health system. They raise awareness about maternal and child health, immunisation, nutrition, sanitation and family planning, identify early warning signs, facilitate screening for hypertension and diabetes, and refer people to facilities. “True healthcare does not begin at the hospital; it begins at the home doorstep with preventive care,” said Kamayani Mahabal, a health activist associated with Jan Swasthya Abhiyaan. “ASHA workers serve as the nation’s absolute frontline defense—catching symptoms early, dismantling taboos and mobilising marginalised women for screening camps. Their role proves that robust investment in early detection and grassroots prevention saves far more lives than late-stage crisis management ever could.”
Tech to detect, protect
AI-driven screening is changing early cancer detection in India by lowering costs, easing doctor shortages and enabling community-level diagnostics. iOncology.ai, launched by AIIMS, New Delhi, with C-DAC Pune, uses deep learning to analyse medical data and image datasets for breast and ovarian cancers in district hospitals. The Cancer AI & Technology Challenge (CATCH) grant programme, announced in 2026 with the National Cancer Grid, aims to speed up clinical validation of AI screening tools. Many companies also offer biomarker-based tests, including liquid biopsies, multi-cancer early detection blood tests and saliva assays.
But as Dr Amit Sehrawat, an oncologist at AIIMS, Rishikesh, says, cancer screening in India remains largely opportunistic rather than systematic and population-wide. Cervical and breast cancer are among the few cancers with evidence-based screening approaches, though access remains uneven, particularly in government facilities. “The most important thing to understand about cancer screening is that the end point is not to diagnose more cases; it is to reduce the number of deaths caused by that particular cancer,” he said. Screening is meant for asymptomatic individuals and should be judged by whether it improves survival.
Apollo’s Health of the Nation report highlights significant gaps in cancer screening among Indian women. Among women over 40 who underwent mammograms, breast cancer was detected in one in every 359 women, at a mean age of 51, nearly a decade earlier than in western populations. Cervical cancer was detected in one in every 422 women screened, at a mean age of 45 or older. Yet fewer than 1 per cent of women nationally undergo routine mammography, and only 1.9 per cent have regular cervical screening. Nearly 60 per cent of women diagnosed with breast cancer and 60-70 per cent with cervical cancer are identified at Stage III or IV.
For cervical cancer, the government launched its nationwide HPV vaccination programme on February 28, targeting about 1.2 crore 14-year-old girls annually. Mammograms may be appropriate for women who meet age-based criteria, but experts say they should not be offered indiscriminately to younger women, whose breast tissue is often denser; suspicious findings may require further imaging or a biopsy.
For lung cancer, low-dose computed tomography has shown potential benefits in selected high-risk groups, particularly people with a substantial smoking history. However, Sehrawat cautioned against directly extrapolating evidence from western populations to India, where tuberculosis and exposure to biomass fuels can complicate interpretation of lung abnormalities. Routine chest X-rays, he added, are not sufficiently sensitive to screen for early lung cancer.
Oncologists also raised concerns over the growing enthusiasm surrounding newer blood-based multi-cancer detection tests, including those that analyse circulating tumour DNA and other molecular markers. “While we certainly need to investigate newer technologies, most of these multi-cancer detection tests have primarily been studied in people who already have cancer,” said Dr Gauravi Mishra, deputy director, Centre for Cancer Epidemiology, Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education Cancer, Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai. “More important, these tests have not been adequately evaluated in Indian populations. The cancer profile in India is different from that in western countries.”
Sehrawat also cautioned against multiple tests in comprehensive checkups without scientific justification. This is overdiagnosis, he explains, and can lead to unnecessary investigations, invasive procedures, costs and psychological distress. He cited PSA testing, where levels can rise with age for reasons other than cancer, potentially triggering biopsies.
Dr Mukul Mittal, sports medicine physician and medical director at Ultrahuman, believes preventive health care must move beyond asking whether a person has a disease. At Ultrahuman’s Performance Lab in Bengaluru, assessments combine blood tests, cardiovascular fitness evaluations, body composition analysis and other tools. “Preventive health was being practised in a binary manner: either you have a disease or you don’t,” said Mittal. “We wanted to take it one step further and understand where a person stands in terms of their capacity.” Normal markers, he says, do not reveal how well someone can perform physically or their functional reserve; strength, power and the ability to squat offer a deeper understanding of health. The approach draws on the WHO’s concept of intrinsic capacity: the combined physical and mental capacities a person can draw upon, across five domains—locomotion, cognition, vitality, sensory function and psychology. Since many of those assessed at the lab are over 40, Mittal estimates around half may already have a diagnosed condition.
The Genome India Project states that advances in genetic sequencing could eventually allow treatment tailored to individual patients, with genetic profiles, environment, lifestyle and diet informing medical decisions. “Tomorrow, we will be in a position where each patient suffering from the same disease will have a different prescription,” said Jitendra Singh. He said India should expand access to sequencing so individuals could have a genetic profile from birth to help identify future health risks.
Agreed Dr G.S.K. Velu, founder, chairman and managing director of Neuberg Diagnostics: “The next frontier is personalised prevention. With whole-genome sequencing, combined with advanced whole-body imaging such as a 3-Tesla MRI, we can understand an individual’s genetic predisposition to diseases and identify risks much earlier—whether it is cardiomyopathy, certain cancers or other chronic conditions. This allows us to move from treating disease after it appears to identifying risk and intervening before it becomes a problem.... The future of health care is not just about living longer; it is about understanding your individual risks early and using that knowledge to stay healthier for longer.”
Why checkups matter
Preventive health care need not involve cutting-edge technology; sometimes it begins with a routine checkup. Yet most Indians visit a clinic only when a symptom strikes. At 5’7” and weighing 66kg, Pankaj Sharma was “known for his fit looks and a well-maintained and toned body”. He did not smoke or drink, followed a strict vegetarian diet and ran 5km every morning. And so, it came as a “rude shock” when he learnt that his coronary artery was 90 per cent blocked. “I thought I was already on the preventive route by staying active but it was only when the symptoms showed—excessive sweating, fatigue, chest pain—that I decided to undergo a checkup and this is what came out of it,” said the New Delhi-based media executive, now in his 50s. “Nobody will ever look at me and say that I have a stent in my body and yet here it is. You never know what is brewing inside the body no matter how fit you look. I wish I had undergone regular health checkups so that this stage wouldn’t have ever come.”
Mumbai-based entrepreneur Prashanth Nair, 52, can relate. He thought that as long as he didn’t gasp for breath after a brisk walk, he was fit. Diabetes ran in his family, yet his blood sugar “was behaving well” until his 50s. Only when he reluctantly underwent a full-body checkup at his family’s insistence did he learn that his sugars were not normal: postprandial sugar was 201 against a normal range of 70 to 140, and fasting blood sugar was 151 against a normal range of less than 100. He was put on medication immediately and told “to cut down on bananas and coconut water and stop hot beverages with sugar”.
For Deepak Handa, a former Army officer, regular testing is a way to understand how his body changes with age. He checks his lipid profile every six months. Around age 37, he noticed his cholesterol rising to 230–235mg/dL despite regular exercise and a healthy diet. A vegetarian who eats eggs and neither drinks nor smokes, he suspects genetics. His HbA1c, a measure of average blood glucose over three months, rose from 5.7 per cent to 5.9 per cent, in the prediabetes range, and he realised the glucose drink he consumed during his tennis matches could have contributed to the rise. After he cut his sugar intake, he felt more energetic. “It was only the testing that showed me that I was in the prediabetic range, and so I could immediately work on my sugars,” he said. His dietary choices are personal, not recommendations for everyone with elevated cholesterol or prediabetes; changes should be guided by a doctor or registered dietitian.
Despite advances in treatment, the timing of diagnosis is still key. According to the ICMR and the National Cancer Registry Programme, only about 29 per cent of cancers in India are diagnosed in the early stages, which is why routine screening is essential.
Competition has made checkups more affordable, said Nair, but quality is uneven. “For instance, I pay Rs16,000 for a full-body health checkup at a premium hospital in Mumbai as against Rs8,000 at a hospital further in the suburbs, and there are packages costing Rs3,000 to Rs4,000 for the same complete body profile farther down,” he said. “Because of this gap, we wonder whether the ones charging far less are doing a good job or if the premium brands are fleecing us. All this is because there is no regulation.” Even his expensive package did not include the stress test that could have shown heart blockages.
As per Apollo’s Health of the Nation report, fatty liver disease can go undetected despite normal enzyme levels: among 49,032 people with ultrasound-confirmed fatty liver, 74 per cent had completely normal liver enzymes. Obesity was present in 87 per cent of cases, abnormal cholesterol in 66 per cent and diabetes in 27 per cent. Adding an abdominal ultrasound to health checks could help detect cases that blood tests miss.
Dr Lubna Chingili, chief medical officer at the Global Innovation Centre, NURA, says the company has screened over one lakh people across India in six years, identifying more than 27,000 critical findings that needed further evaluation, including abnormalities linked to cancer, metabolic disorders and cardiovascular diseases. Operating in tier-1 cities such as Delhi and Mumbai, NURA offers AI-enabled screening using advanced imaging, including CT scans, at about Rs20,000 per person. “The cost of screening has to be viewed against the cost of treating a disease at an advanced stage,” she said. Breast cancer, for instance, can sometimes be detected at stage 0, when treatment may be less intensive and breast-conserving surgery possible. At an advanced stage, treatment may involve more extensive surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, significantly increasing costs.
The challenge is to build a preventive system that reaches beyond urban centres and those who can afford sophisticated packages. Dr Prabhakaran Dorairaj, distinguished professor at the Public Health Foundation of India, notes that as health expenditure increases, the government, insurance companies and employers will all want diseases to be stopped at an early stage.
Focus on food
The prime minister’s recent call to reduce oil consumption comes as Indians are especially prone to visceral fat. That is because of the ‘thin-fat’ phenotype, also known as thin outside, fat inside. It is a body-composition paradox prevalent among Indians: a normal body mass index (BMI) but a disproportionately high percentage of visceral fat, low skeletal muscle mass and insulin resistance. Evidence from the landmark Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-INDIAB study indicates that 43.3 per cent of Indians have a normal BMI but are metabolically obese. In his paper ‘Thin fat obesity: The tropical phenotype of obesity’, Dr Nitin Kapoor observed, “Low birth weight has also been implicated in the development of this ‘thin fat’ phenotype described in the Indian population.” The classical thin-fat phenotype is also well explained in this population, reads another paper, by the fat overflow hypothesis. This means that they have a much lower capacity of storing fat in the subcutaneous region. When exposed to high calorie intake, the subcutaneous tissue is overwhelmed and the extra fat content then spills into ectopic sites like the kidneys, heart and liver.
According to an ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) report, 56.4 per cent of total disease burden in India is owing to unhealthy diets. The report further states that healthy diets and physical activity can reduce a substantial proportion of coronary heart disease and hypertension and prevent up to 80 per cent of type 2 diabetes. The report adds that a rise in consumption of highly processed food laden with sugars and fats, coupled with reduced physical activity and limited access to diverse food, is worsening the issues of micronutrient deficiencies and obesity.
As per the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey, the monthly per capita expenditure on processed food rose from 7.9 per cent to 9.8 per cent (rural) and 9 per cent to 11.1 per cent (urban) between 2011–12 and 2023–24. The 2025 Lancet Series on Ultra-Processed Foods and Human Health points out that in India, classifying food by ultra-processing alone may overlook substantial dietary hazards. Commonly consumed non-industrially prepared food such as samosas, chaat and jalebi are HFSS (high in fat, salt, sugar) food and contain refined carbohydrates, yet remain largely outside regulatory focus. Food activists say aggressive advertising of such food, including on social media, shapes dietary preferences among children and adults. The Supreme Court recently directed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to introduce mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labelling for HFSS food, citing the right to health. Despite growing evidence of ultra-processed food expanding in India, the absence of a regulatory definition hampers effective policy action.
The ICMR-NIN’s ‘My Plate for the Day’ recommends sourcing macronutrients and micronutrients from at least eight food groups, with vegetables, fruits, green leafy vegetables, roots and tubers forming half the plate. Cereals and millets should account for no more than 45 per cent of total energy, but they actually contribute 50-70 per cent. Pulses, meat, poultry and fish together contribute only 6-9 per cent against a recommended 14-15 per cent. This imbalance results in poor intake of essential amino acids, fatty acids and micronutrients, which, in turn, can disrupt metabolism and raise the risk of insulin resistance and related disorders from a young age.
And now there is ‘food noise’. Researchers at the Indiana University’s School of Public Health in Bloomington describe this recently popularised term as a constant preoccupation with food-related decisions, such as which food to eat, caloric intake, macronutrient balance and meal timing, that can become intrusive and unpleasant. “Food noise also appears to affect cognitive burden and quality of life, and is being cited as one reason weight loss attempts fail,” noted the researchers in a paper published in Nutrition & Diabetes in 2025. The paper also suggests that GLP-1 receptor agonists, particularly semaglutide, may help manage obesity not merely by suppressing appetite but by reducing food noise. People taking semaglutide report reduced appetite, fewer and less intense cravings, greater fullness and better control over eating. In a 20-week clinical trial involving 72 participants, those receiving semaglutide consumed 35 per cent fewer calories than the placebo group when offered a meal, and reported significantly less hunger and preoccupation with food. The effects may be linked to GLP-1’s action on brain pathways regulating appetite, particularly the hypothalamus and hindbrain, and to gut-brain signalling.
The paper also explores why people struggle to maintain weight loss. Weight reduction triggers biological adaptations: hunger-promoting hormones such as ghrelin rise, while satiety-promoting hormones such as GLP-1 and peptide YY fall. These changes can intensify hunger, cravings and preoccupation with eating, potentially contributing to weight regain. Drawing a parallel with the Minnesota Starvation Experiment, the paper describes how prolonged calorie restriction can lead to obsessive preoccupation with food, irritability and psychological distress, with the reintroduction of food bringing intense hunger and overeating.
Losing and regaining weight is, therefore, a biological response, which is why healthy habits in diet and exercise become relevant. Dr Sudhir Kalhan, chairman, Institute of Minimal Access, Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, cautions against treating GLP-1 medications as a quick fix, stressing that lifestyle modification remains the cornerstone of sustainable weight management. “There is no quick-fix treatment for obesity. Even bariatric surgery, which is a radical intervention for people who are severely obese, requires patients to change their lifestyle to maintain the weight loss,” he said. He pointed out that GLP-1 drugs are increasingly promoted as easy solutions, sometimes by chemists and non-medical intermediaries, creating the misconception that patients can take an injection and continue their existing habits. Obesity, however, is a complex chronic disease requiring changes in diet, calorie intake, protein consumption and physical activity. Kalhan also stresses the distinction between weight loss and fat loss: losing kilos does not necessarily mean losing excess fat, and some patients lose muscle instead, which is unhealthy. “What you need to lose is the extra fat, particularly visceral fat, and not muscle,” he stressed. Adequate protein intake, strength and resistance training and regular monitoring of body composition are therefore essential.
Micro habits
Experts point out that it is only post Covid that Indians have actually begun taking charge of their health. “I see this interest in how the young now want to invest more in feeling good, both in the mind and the body,” said Ruksheda Syeda, a psychologist in Mumbai.
Ruchira Patel, 57, an arts instructor, has been following the “preventive health dictum” for the past six years. She does brisk walking, yoga and running and practises mindful eating through the day. “I stopped having hot beverages, sugars, and limited fried food to occasional bingeing. I feel so much more energetic than ever before,” she said. Patel also joined fitness app communities, and would clock close to 20,000 steps every day. Gradually, she became one of the app’s top performers. “I was so addicted to seeing my name at the top that one day when I missed it, I went down at 11pm to make sure I had completed my target for the day,” she said.
Experts say preventive health begins with forming healthy habits. And, consistency is key. Dr Mukesh Thakur, director, internal medicine, acute medicine and clinical transformation at Sir H.N. Reliance Foundation Hospital, advocates what he calls the “habit multiplier”, the cumulative benefit of simple lifestyle changes practised consistently over time, drawing on research including studies using UK Biobank data. “Simple habits done every day over a period of time give you massive returns,” he said, adding that sustainable lifestyle changes, alongside medication where necessary, can help manage diabetes, obesity, hypertension and fatty liver disease. “The key really is the habit multiplier,” he said. “We have also carried out studies that have shown the outcome that 30 to 35 minutes of exercise per day gives you 40 per cent chances of having at least 10 years healthier lifespan as compared to other individuals in the same bracket.” Thakur identifies three pillars: managing stress and sleep, eating a balanced diet, and maintaining regular physical activity. “You build these things into your daily habits,” he said.
Start early, stay healthier
Starting early can very well mean starting young. “Around 30 per cent of schoolchildren are obese and about 10 per cent of them will develop diabetes by the time they become adults,” said Kalhan. Doctors say that schools are where the government can start monitoring obesity levels and rewarding children with good fitness levels. Health experts also suggest giving children higher grades for physical fitness to encourage them.
In February, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation launched the Fit Mumbai Movement, a citywide initiative that moves preventive care from hospitals and clinics into neighbourhood spaces through structured fitness and wellness activities. It has also started regular screenings for schoolchildren. Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has directed that no junk food be served in schools across the city and the state. “Preventive health care,” he said, “is at the forefront of what we are doing.”
