ET NOW.in Business Conclave & Awards 2026: At the ET NOW.in Business Conclave & Awards 2026, Dr K. Madan Gopal, Senior Health Sector expert, Former Senior Consultant NITI Aayog and Advisor PHA NHSRC, outlined the transformative journey of India’s healthcare system. With three decades of experience, including pivotal roles at NITI Aayog and NHSRC, Dr. Gopal highlighted a fundamental shift in how the nation perceives and delivers health services—moving away from a hospital-centric model toward a more integrated, holistic approach.
From silos to a ‘whole-of-government’ approach
Reflecting on the changes over the past decade, Dr. Gopal, speaking during the special session ‘Beyond Hospitals: Reimagining India’s Public Healthcare System’, identified the move toward “health strengthening and saturation” as a crowning achievement. He noted a stark contrast between the management of the H1N1 epidemic a decade ago and the recent response to COVID-19.
“One is focus on health strengthening as well as moving towards targets to saturation. That’s the major thing that I have seen in my three decades of career. I used to work in the States also. Then, when I migrated to the central place, a lot of shift has happened. I’ve seen how the H1N1 epidemic was handled a decade earlier and now how COVID was handled. Entirely, a shift has happened,” he noted.
“It used to be a siloed approach—the health department’s responsibility alone. Now, it’s a whole-of-government approach,” Dr. Gopal explained.
The paradigm shift: Disease to well-being
Addressing the long-standing debate of “prevention versus cure,” Dr. Gopal acknowledged that while the system was historically reactive, the National Health Policy has successfully pivoted toward proactiveness. “We have been talking that prevention is better than cure, but all the system which has evolved over the years it was more towards reactive not the proactiveness for prevention. But, obviously, the national health policy has focused on preventive healthcare and we have seen lot of efforts made towards prevention and promotion of diseases. So, that effort is there and you would be seeing results in the coming years,” he explained.
While India boasts a massive curative infrastructure—with over 2.1 lakh public facilities and more than 60,000 private hospitals—the global and domestic focus is shifting. Dr. Gopal outlined a four-stage evolution in healthcare philosophy:
- Disease Management: The traditional focus on treating illness.
- Health for All: The initial push for universal access.
- Wellness: A shift toward maintaining health before illness occurs.
- Well-being: An integrated, holistic approach to an individual’s total quality of life.
“If you look at the paradigm shift which is happening across the globe, also from the disease, we have moved towards health, that was the first clarion call given by WHO Health for all by 2000. After that, there was focus on bringing the health to wellness aspect, which means that the shift has happened from the disease to health, from health to the wellness. From wellness, now we are having an integrated approach…how we can move towards the well-being of an individual, which means that kind of paradigm shift is happening. That means focus is now shifting from just having a cure to a more holistic way of making the person’s well-being. That means the whole approach is now shifting towards that,” he said.
Beyond Hospitals: Reimagining India’s Public Healthcare System | ET Now Business Conclave 2026 [WATCH FULL VIDEO]
ETNow.in Business Conclave and Awards 2026
The ETNow.in Business Conclave & Awards 2026 took place against the backdrop of India’s evolving economic landscape, as the country continues to be among the world’s fastest-growing major economies. With policy focus increasingly centred on innovation, infrastructure development, digital adoption, and sustainability, discussions have largely shifted toward how these factors can support long-term growth across sectors.
The conclave brought together policymakers, industry leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs to deliberate on economic priorities, sectoral opportunities, and policy frameworks influencing India’s growth trajectory.
Conversations at the event span a range of areas, including manufacturing, emerging technologies, renewable energy, healthcare, infrastructure, and talent development, reflecting the breadth of challenges and opportunities facing the economy.
In addition to panel discussions and keynote sessions, the event also aims to highlight examples of innovation and leadership from organisations and individuals contributing to economic activity and institutional development.
The broader focus remains on fostering dialogue between government and industry stakeholders, identifying emerging trends, and examining how collaboration across sectors could strengthen India’s competitiveness and role in the global economy.
