National Healthcare Leadership Forum 2025 Highlights the Great Healthcare Shift Towards Bharat’s Tier-2 and Tier-3 Cities

New Delhi [India], December 29: The National Healthcare Leadership Forum 2025, organised by Voice of Healthcare (VOH), was held on December 17 at Hyatt Regency, New Delhi, bringing together senior leaders from healthcare delivery, medical devices, investment, quality accreditation and health technology to deliberate on India’s rapidly evolving healthcare landscape and future priorities.

Welcoming the distinguished speakers and delegates, Dr Naveen Nischal, Founding Chairman of the VOH Network and Co-founder of Ujala Cygnus set the tone for a day-long exchange of ideas and insights. The forum opened with a strategic presentation, “India’s Vision 2030: The Future of Health,” delivered by Aryaman Tandon, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Praxis Global Alliance, outlining the scale of opportunity and challenges within India’s healthcare ecosystem.

In his inaugural address, Dr Naveen Nischal reflected on the evolving nature of leadership in healthcare. Drawing an analogy to a hurdle race, he noted that leadership today demands constant adaptation. “Healthcare in India is at a critical juncture, shaped by shifting needs, evolving challenges and changing priorities. There is no fixed rulebook for leadership in such times. What remains constant are strong values—particularly trust and ethics—along with the ability to adapt. Platforms like this forum allow leaders to learn from one another and collectively strengthen India’s healthcare ecosystem,” he said.

Highlighting the scale of opportunity, Aryaman Tandon pointed out that while India’s healthcare sector is already valued at around $300 billion, it remains significantly underpenetrated. “India carries nearly 20 per cent of the global disease burden but accounts for only about 1 per cent of global healthcare spending. If we address fragmentation, insurance coverage gaps, quality and infrastructure constraints, India has the potential to become one of the world’s most impactful healthcare ecosystems,” he remarked.

The forum was graced by Chief Guest, actor Ameesha Patel, who applauded healthcare professionals for their dedication to patient care and acknowledged their role in safeguarding the nation’s well-being. Expressing her personal interest in bioengineering, she said, “Healthcare has always inspired me. It is heartening to see how science, innovation and compassion come together to improve lives. Platforms like the VOH National Healthcare Awards play an important role in recognising individuals and organisations driving meaningful change.”

A panel discussion on “Building an Integrated Healthcare Ecosystem” featured Dr Ritu Mittal Garg, Chief Growth and Innovation Officer, Fortis Healthcare; Amit Singh, Group CEO, Yatharth Hospitals; and Henna Dhawan, Head–Country Public Affairs, Novartis India. Moderated by Dr Vishal Arora, Chief Business Officer, Artemis Hospitals, the panel focused on payment reforms, technology integration and the growing role of genomics in enabling coordinated, patient-centric care.

Another session titled “Capital, Collaboration and Clinical Capabilities” brought together Rajeev Arora, President and Cluster Head–Critical Care, Oncology and Emergency Medicine, BSV-Mankind; Gaurav Khurana, Group CEO, Amandeep Hospitals; Sharad Goswami, Senior Director, Pfizer; Neeraj Lal, Regional Director, Medicover Hospitals; and Dr Debjani Saha, AGM, Premas Life Sciences, who discussed the interplay between investment, partnerships and clinical excellence.

The forum also featured a fireside chat, “Command to Care: A Leadership Journey,” with Col Rajeev Mannali, MD & CEO, SUT Super Speciality Hospital, Pattom. Moderated by Mayank Badhwar, Senior Editor, VOH, the session offered insights into leadership, discipline and decision-making in complex healthcare environments.

This was followed by a thematic presentation, “The P4 Adventure – Unlocking the Highest Quality and Longest Human Life,” by Dr Arjun T., Medical Director, Andhra Pradesh Medical Technology Zone (AMTZ), who emphasised the role of public–private partnerships, precision manufacturing and policy-backed innovation in building future-ready healthcare systems.

A key highlight was the panel discussion, “The Great Healthcare Shift: Capital, Capacity and Care – Expansion Across Bharat,” which examined how investment, manufacturing and people-centric models are transforming healthcare access in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. Moderated by Dr Arjun T., the panel featured Rajiv Nath, Managing Director, Hindustan Syringes & Medical Devices Ltd. and Forum Coordinator, AiMeD; Ashish Taneja, Founding Partner & CEO, GrowX Ventures; Abhishek Kapoor, CEO, Regency Healthcare; Dr Sanjeev Gupta, Group Medical Director, Action Group of Hospitals and Principal Assessor, QCI; and Gaurav Khurana, Amandeep Hospital Group.

The discussion highlighted India’s push to reduce import dependence under the National Medical Device Policy 2023, the rise of medtech parks in non-metro regions, asset-light hospital expansion models, workforce challenges, and innovative financing approaches to ensure affordability without compromising care quality.

Concluding the forum, VOH presented over 100 National Healthcare Awards recognising outstanding organisations and individuals. Dr Girdhar Gyani, Director General, AHPI, was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award, while Outreach Partner Prius Communications received a National Award for its impactful healthcare campaigns.

Overall, the National Healthcare Leadership Forum 2025 reinforced that India’s healthcare transformation will be driven not only by metros, but increasingly across Bharat—through decentralised manufacturing, technology-led expansion, skilled workforce development and patient-centric innovation.