Kenyan Health Leaders Study India’s Digital Health Model

A high-level Kenyan delegation, led by Dr Gregory Ganda, County Minister for Health from
Kisumu County visited the National Health Authority (NHA) on February 19, 2026, to
exchange knowledge on India’s digital health infrastructure and insurance programs.
Comprising senior officials from Kenya’s national and county health systems, the visit
highlighted South-South collaboration in building scalable, citizen-centric health ecosystems.
Hosted by NHA CEO Dr Sunil Kumar Barnwal, the delegation received detailed briefings on
two flagship initiatives: Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY),
the world’s largest government-funded health assurance scheme, and Ayushman Bharat
Digital Mission (ABDM), India’s national digital health ecosystem, leveraging Digital Public
Infrastructure (DPI).
PM-JAY discussions showcased technology-driven accountability, including Aadhaar-based
beneficiary verification, rapid pre-authorisation, hospital risk profiling, and an advanced
anti-fraud system using machine learning, image analytics, and deep learning across
33,000+ empanelled hospitals. Since 2018, it has facilitated over 11.6 crore (116 million)
hospital admissions worth more than ₹1.67 lakh crore ($18 billion) for vulnerable
populations, balancing national governance with state flexibility.
On ABDM, focus was on consent-governed health data exchange across government,
private hospitals, labs, and frontline workers, with potential for drug logistics and utilisation
tracking. With 860 million ABHA health IDs and 882 million linked electronic health records, it
enables federated, patient-owned longitudinal records accessible nationwide.
Dr Barnwal stated, “We are pleased to share our experiences with our Kenyan partners and
believe that this South-South collaboration will contribute meaningfully to their efforts in
building citizen-centric health systems.” Both sides are committed to co-designing solutions with
private sector involvement and lowering costs via shared digital public goods.
NHA, under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, drives Universal Health Coverage
through financial protection, digital innovation, and evidence-based policymaking.