The third edition of the Digital Health Network (DHN) Forum concluded on a powerful note at the Hyatt Regency, Delhi, underscoring its growing influence as a driving force in India’s digital healthcare transformation. In collaboration with CHiME India, DHN unveiled its much-anticipated Annual Digital Health Trends & Outlook 2025 Report, offering critical strategic insights into the country’s rapidly evolving healthcare ecosystem.

Following successful editions in Bengaluru and Mumbai, the Delhi edition attracted more than 200 prominent stakeholders, including CEOs, policymakers, big tech leaders, CIOs, and international delegates from the United States. This year's theme — “Empowering Health, Advancing Equity, Transforming Care” — served as a unifying call to action across all sessions, from high-level keynotes to roundtable discussions.

The forum provided a platform for some of the most respected voices in healthcare, including Dr. Uma Nambiar, CEO of the Indian Institute of Science Medical School Foundation; Dr. D.S. Rana, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Sir Gangaram Hospital; Dr. Sujoy Kar, Chief Medical Information Officer at Apollo Hospitals; and Dr. Divleen Jeji, India Lead at Google Health. Speakers addressed urgent issues around healthcare access, clinical innovation, patient experience, and equity — all in the context of India’s digital health ambitions.

One of the central highlights was the release of the Digital Health Trends & Outlook 2025 Report, which consolidates insights from leading healthcare IT decision-makers across India. According to Vishnu Saxena, Founder and CEO of DHN and ScaleHealthTech, the report "goes beyond numbers — it is a blueprint for healthcare innovation that puts patients at the center." He added that DHN will continue to build strategic platforms, academic partnerships, and innovation programs to drive measurable impact in the sector.

The report outlines six key trends shaping India’s digital health landscape: the rising influence of AI in clinical decision-making, a shift toward patient-centric engagement, ongoing challenges in cybersecurity, a growing reliance on external tech partnerships, budgetary constraints, and the emergence of CIOs and Chief Digital Officers as central figures in healthcare leadership.

Dr. Girish Kulkarni, Chairperson of CHiME India, emphasized the urgency of strategic alignment. "This year's findings are a clear call to action. With AI-led innovation and collaborative frameworks taking center stage, it's time for leadership to think boldly and execute with intent."

In addition to strategic dialogues, the forum also celebrated individual excellence, recognizing the Top 10 Healthcare CIOs of the Year. Selected from over 70 nominations, the awardees represented a spectrum of healthcare organizations — from hospitals to pharma firms — and were lauded for pushing boundaries in digital health adoption.

Looking ahead, DHN is set to build on this momentum with a series of initiatives under its new DHN 2.0 strategy. Central to this is the Digital Health Marketplace (DHP) — a curated platform that will allow hospital leaders, innovators, and startups to discover and collaborate on tech-powered healthcare solutions. Academic collaborations with institutions like IIT Delhi, IIITs, IHMR, and AHPI are also being strengthened to ensure that cutting-edge research is meaningfully translated into real-world practice.

The forum also previewed upcoming CXO roundtables and the HealthTech Innovation Challenge, which aims to spotlight breakthrough ideas and connect high-potential startups with VCs, regulators, and institutional partners to scale digital health innovations.

As India accelerates its digital-first healthcare journey, the DHN Forum Delhi 2025 reaffirmed the critical role of ecosystem collaboration, innovation, and forward-thinking policy. With a growing community of changemakers and enablers, DHN is poised to remain at the forefront of shaping a smarter, more inclusive healthcare future for the country.