From crowded government hospitals to cutting-edge private facilities, clinicians across specialities say the challenges they face are no longer limited to medical science alone.
Regulatory bottlenecks, rising patient loads, uneven access to technology, gaps in training, and a growing mental health burden, among both patients and healthcare workers, are shaping everyday medical practice.
In conversations with six leading doctors from across specialities, THE WEEK asked a simple question: What is on your wish list for Indian healthcare in 2026?
Their answers point to changes in the way healthcare is delivered, accessed, and experienced in the country. Together, these wish lists offer a candid snapshot of what Indian medicine hopes will bring next year.
Dr Rajiv Kovil, a diabetologist based in Mumbai
By 2026, healthcare must move decisively from treating disease to preventing it. First, energy-dense, ultraprocessed foods and sugary beverages should be taxed at least three times higher than today. Alcohol and tobacco taxation must rise sharply as well. These are not lifestyle choices alone; they are proven drivers of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and premature mortality.
At the same time, simple, nutritious foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, pulses, and healthy proteins must become significantly cheaper through subsidies and policy support.
Second, misleading or incorrect food labelling should attract strict penalties, because misinformation on food is a public health hazard, not a marketing error.
Finally, corporates must invest meaningfully in employee health. This includes access to qualified nutritional counselling, structured lifestyle programs, gym or physical activity memberships, and trained health coaches.
Prof Dr Pradeep Bhosale, Chairperson, Robotic Joint Replacement Surgery Knee & Hip, Nanavati Max Super Speciality Hospital, Mumbai
Indian surgeons have a significantly higher workload than those in the Western world. They are getting more adapted to the use of robot-assisted surgeries. These surgeries in Joint Replacement of Knee and Hip have established absolute benefit for perfection and longevity.
Robotic-assisted surgeries are also established in Spine, Laparoscopic GI, Gynaecology, Urology and Cardiac surgeries. However, insured patients do not get complete benefits under these surgeries. Many insurance agencies do not approve robotic surgery for reimbursement, or some companies give only partial benefits. This should change. The Government of India has already approved and advised the inclusion of robotic-assisted surgeries in the insurance claim.
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Dr Bipin Chevale, CEO - Gleneagles Hospital, Mumbai
Government expenditure on healthcare should be increased to at least 3% of GDP in the coming year. Enhanced funding is necessary to build robust infrastructure, strengthen human resources, and ensure equitable access across urban and rural areas in the country. Advanced tertiary and quaternary healthcare must be made accessible to all through public–private partnerships (PPP) and hub-and-spoke models.
Mass screening programs, supported by both public and private sectors and powered by new-age health-tech infrastructure, can enable early detection and reduce long-term disease burden.
India needs to improve awareness, infrastructure, and policy support for organ donation to bridge the vast demand–supply gap and save thousands of lives. Healthcare infrastructure in metropolitan cities should be further strengthened to support medical tourism, with an emphasis on transparency, ethical practices, patient-centric care, and global standards of hospitality.
Dr Lancelot Pinto, Pulmonologist and Epidemiologist
Indian healthcare should move towards preserving health and not just treating disease. Cleaner air, better nutrition, access to walking spaces and better public transport will do far more for healthcare than newer drugs and procedures. My wishlist would include better-enforced regulations for drug quality and prescriptions, working towards universal access to healthcare, and improved disease surveillance.
Dr Sanjith Saseedharan, Director-Critical Care, S.L. Raheja Hospital, Mumbai
India’s ICUs stand at the intersection of high technology, limited resources and deeply human expectations. As an intensive care physician with an interest in critical care economics, nutrition and mechanical ventilation and improving quality of life, my hope for 2026 is for ICUs that deliver better outcomes with greater dignity and value. We must move toward value-based intensive care.
Nutrition should finally be recognised as core therapy, with early feeding and dedicated ICU dietitians as standard, not a privilege. Ventilation too must move beyond one-size-fits-all, focusing on lung protection, diaphragm preservation and timely escalation when non-invasive strategies fail. Equally important is caring for the caregivers; preventing burnout among nurses and doctors is a patient-safety priority.
Technology and AI should lighten cognitive load and support decision-making, without replacing compassion or human judgment.
Prof Anupam Sibal, Senior Pediatric Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist, Group Medical Director, Apollo Hospitals Group
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My wish for Indian healthcare in 2026 is for a balanced, future-ready system that expands postgraduate and super-speciality seats in disciplines where shortages are most acute, while strengthening Ayushman Arogya Mandirs as the frontline for population-level prevention and management of non-communicable diseases.
These centres can become the foundation of value-based care, where the focus and incentives are on keeping people healthy and out of hospitals.
Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) can act as a powerful catalyst and knit this ecosystem together. Much like how UPI transformed digital payments, ABDM can enable continuity, accountability, and smart use of AI across care settings.
As our health workforce numbers increase, we need to create opportunities for young doctors and other healthcare professionals to build fulfilling careers in smaller cities and underserved regions.
Dr Sudheer Ambekar, oncologist, Jaslok hospital
I wish that corruption in the supply lines of healthcare products and medicines were eliminated so as to make them more affordable to the patients. In the current scenario, the cost of medicines, consumables and medical implants is very high, which makes many patients not undergo the desired treatment.