"From inception, Wipro GE Healthcare has invested over $4 billion in India"

Established in the 1990s, Wipro GE Healthcare has evolved significantly over the years. How has the company adapted its strategy to address the changing healthcare landscape and the emerging needs of providers and patients?

In the last few decades, the MedTech industry has and is still undergoing a significant shift marked by rapid advancements in digital technology and data-driven innovation. From patients actively engaging with healthcare through digital platforms, wearable devices, telehealth services, to the rise of AI-enabled tools enabling predictive, precision-led, and preventive care, these are shifts that have been happening over a period of time and will continue to define the next decade of healthcare.

For Wipro GE Healthcare, the last 35 years were rooted in enabling this shift as MedTech moved beyond standalone devices toward integrated, intelligent ecosystems that enable continuous care, real-time insights, and more personalised treatment pathways.

In a country with the world’s largest population, for us, this growth was also underlined by our commitment to ‘Make in India, for India and the world’.

Our strategy has continuously adapted by staying closely aligned to India’s evolving healthcare needs, especially the need to expand access at scale while improving quality and patient outcomes. A key part of this has been deepening localisation. From inception, Wipro GE Healthcare has invested over $4 billion in India. Furthermore, in 2024, we announced an additional ₹8,000 crore ($1 billion) investment over five years. This long-term commitment has enabled us to build a strong footprint in the country, including four manufacturing sites – three facilities in partnership with Wipro and one with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), as well as the largest R&D centre for GE HealthCare globally - the Healthcare Technology Centre India (HTCI).

At the same time, as healthcare shifts toward a more patient centric model, our strategic focus has evolved to support this transition. This means enabling broader access to quality care, strengthening last-mile connectivity, and contributing to more resilient healthcare infrastructure, while ensuring that innovation remains rooted in the realities of both providers and patients.

From the 1990s when we first started here to now, our evolution reflects a clear shift from being a provider of medical technologies to becoming a long-term partner in shaping more connected, accessible, and future-ready healthcare systems that meet the needs of both providers and patients.

Artificial Intelligence is transforming areas such as medical imaging, diagnostics, and clinical decision-making. How is Wipro GE Healthcare leveraging AI to enhance healthcare delivery and improve patient outcomes?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is helping healthcare professionals do their jobs the way they have always intended, by giving them the time and tools to focus on what matters most and build a more efficient and intelligent ecosystem for patient care. At Wipro GE Healthcare, we see AI as a key enabler quality care by simplifying complex data, enhancing care delivery, and helping reduce the growing burden on clinicians.

We have been integrating AI and advanced technologies into our solutions in a scalable and practical way. For example, in the digital space, our intelligent platforms bring together data from multiple sources and offer over 100 AI-enabled services, translating complex clinical and operational information into real-time, actionable insights for clinicians. Platforms like CareIntellect are designed to consolidate multimodal data and support faster, more informed decision-making in increasingly complex care environments, with its oncology module already helping simplify complex patient information for more effective clinical decisions.

AI is also playing an important role in expanding access to quality care. Our AI-powered diagnostics and telehealth solutions, including Tele-ICU, enable specialists to remotely support care teams, extending clinical expertise beyond traditional settings, especially in rural and underserved areas.

While AI is transforming healthcare, it is important to remember that trust remains the most critical currency, especially in an industry where earning the confidence of both clinicians and patients is paramount. At Wipro GE Healthcare, our Responsible AI principles are designed to ensure that every system we develop or deploy meets the highest standards of performance, safety, and accountability.

What major innovations and technology advancements is Wipro GE Healthcare currently developing for India?

Wipro GE Healthcare has been a long-standing partner in India’s Make in India journey, with a clear focus on building solutions in India, for India, and the world. Given the scale and diversity of healthcare needs in the country, our approach to innovation has been centred on developing high-quality, affordable technologies that are tailored to local realities while remaining globally relevant.

One of the most pressing challenges in India is the disparity in access to quality care, where patient outcomes can vary significantly between Tier I cities and Tier II, Tier III, or underserved regions. Addressing this gap has been central to our strategy. We are advancing connected care and digital solutions that empower clinicians with better decision-making tools while extending access to quality care beyond traditional hospital settings.

Remote care solutions such as Tele-ICU and Tele-NICU enable specialists to support patient care in real time, helping bridge critical gaps in access, particularly in underserved areas. Similarly, digital platforms like MUSE enable remote ECG interpretation, while asset optimisation solutions such as iCenter and MyAsset help improve hospital efficiency and resource utilisation.

With healthcare systems focusing on accessibility, affordability, and digital transformation, how is Wipro GE Healthcare supporting this shift through its solutions and partnerships?

At Wipro GE Healthcare, our mission is to take quality healthcare to the last citizen, and enabling accessibility, affordability, and digital transformation is central to achieving this.

Today, GE HealthCare’s machines and technologies serve over 300 million patients annually in India, supported by an extensive install base that reaches even the most remote parts of the country. This widespread footprint allows us to support care delivery well beyond urban centres, across diagnostics, maternal care, and digital health.

A key enabler of affordability has been our strong focus on localisation. Through our long-standing commitment to Make in India, we have been able to develop cost-effective, high-quality technologies tailored to local needs. Our localisation initiatives under the government’s Make in India program have made advanced medical technologies more affordable, resulting in solutions such as portable ECG machines and low-cost imaging systems. This has also helped expand access to advanced care across diverse healthcare settings.

At the same time, scaling healthcare access requires strong collaboration. We work closely with the government and other stakeholders, aligned with national priorities such as Viksit Bharat, Atmanirbhar Bharat, and Make in India. As a long-standing partner in Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) and National Health Mission initiatives, we have built the largest PPP install base in the region, with over 340 installations across 22 states. As a leading technology partner in radiology PPPs, we support over 200 hospitals across modalities, strengthening diagnostic infrastructure and enabling timely care delivery. In parallel, our partnerships with leading institutions reflect our focus on co-creating impactful solutions, for example, our collaboration with AIIMS to establish the AI Health Innovations Hub

We are also advancing connected care and digital solutions to improve clinical efficiency and decision-making. Technologies such as telemedicine and remote monitoring, including Tele-ICU and Tele-NICU, are helping extend specialist care to underserved regions, reducing the need for patient travel while enabling real-time clinical support. Digital platforms are further improving visibility into patient data and helping providers manage increasing patient volumes more effectively.

Additionally, initiatives like Health Yatra, launched in September 2024, further extend this impact on the ground, having already traversed over 160 districts. By engaging frontline clinicians and raising awareness of advanced Ultrasound and Patient Care Solutions, the initiative is helping strengthen care delivery in underserved communities.

What are the major regulatory challenges faced by medical technology companies in India today?

India has made meaningful progress in building a supportive policy environment for the MedTech sector, and the intent to position the country as a global hub for MedTech is clearly visible. However, as the industry evolves, there are a few regulatory challenges that need continued focus to enable scale and innovation.

One of the key challenges is the need for a more device-specific regulatory framework. Medical technology is inherently different from pharmaceuticals as it spans hardware, software, and increasingly, data-driven and AI-enabled systems. As a result, regulatory approaches need to be tailored to reflect this complexity, with clearer pathways for approvals, faster review timelines, and consistent interpretation of guidelines across regions. This would help create a more predictable and innovation-friendly environment.

Another important area is greater harmonisation with global standards. As India aims to become a global MedTech manufacturing and innovation hub, alignment with international quality and safety benchmarks becomes critical. This not only ensures global competitiveness of India-made products but also simplifies compliance for companies operating across multiple markets. Reducing regulatory overlaps and bringing greater coherence across different governing bodies can significantly lower the cost and complexity of doing business.

There is also a need to further streamline processes and strengthen ease of doing business, particularly for companies investing in local manufacturing and R&D. Faster approvals, clearer policies, and stable regulatory pathways can accelerate innovation and encourage greater domestic value addition.

What is your vision for the next decade of healthcare technology in India? Any new launches in the pipeline?

Over the next decade, healthcare in India will shift from episodic, hospital-centric care to continuous, data-driven, and decentralized models. The convergence of AI, digital platforms, and connected devices will enable earlier diagnosis, proactive disease management, and continuous patient monitoring, critical to addressing the country’s growing chronic disease burden.

Additionally, we are seeing a more informed and proactive patient base, with greater adoption of digital tools, mobile health apps, and wearable devices that enable real-time health monitoring. This shift toward preventive care not only improves outcomes but also helps reduce the burden on healthcare systems. Care delivery will also move beyond traditional hospital settings, with home-based care, telehealth, and remote monitoring becoming more mainstream.

The next decade will not just be defined by advances in technology, but by how effectively we translate these advances into real-world impact, making healthcare more accessible, equitable, connected and personalised for every citizen, regardless of where they are.

Sanjiv Das
Sanjiv.das@mmactiv.com