Apollo Hospitals used its flagship International Health Dialogue 2026 to make two significant announcements: a commitment to operate all its facilities around the clock, every single day of the year, and plans to build what it is calling a “Hospital of the Future” in Hyderabad.
The two-day event, held under the theme “Global Voices. One Vision,” drew over 27,000 participants and received more than 300 paper submissions and 120 award entries from institutions across 75 countries.
Apollo Chairman Dr. Prathap C. Reddy made the year-round operations pledge in a virtual address, signaling a broader rethinking of how hospitals define availability for patients. “Healthcare cannot sleep when people fall sick,” he said. “Technology must always serve compassion, not replace it. The future of healthcare is not in hospitals alone, but in everyday life.”
Joint Managing Director Dr. Sangita Reddy opened the event by laying out Apollo’s technology roadmap, anchored in what the company describes as a shift from episodic care to continuous health management. She framed the upcoming Hyderabad facility as part of a wider effort to build a health system that extends well beyond hospital walls.
“Our challenge cannot be solved by linear growth. Healthcare needs exponential solutions,” Dr. Reddy said, outlining several initiatives already underway. These include Dial50, a service handling non-clinical patient requests, and a preventive health AI platform that uses risk scoring and wellness pathways, currently processing millions of API calls. Apollo’s telehealth platform, Apollo 24/7, now serves over 40 million users.
The company also revealed a partnership with Microsoft to develop AI-powered tools for both clinicians and patients, built with what Apollo calls “human-in-the-loop governance.” Dr. Reddy linked these efforts to measurable results on the ground, pointing to remote monitoring that has achieved zero code blue events in covered wards and 5G-connected ambulances that bring clinical oversight into emergency response.
Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, Member of Parliament from Telangana, used the platform to highlight the Indian government’s broader ambitions around AI in healthcare. “AI will institutionalise medical expertise and reach the remotest communities,” he said, adding that India’s public digital infrastructure provides a strong base for building interoperable health solutions at scale.
Dr. Madhu Sasidhar, President and CEO of Apollo’s Hospitals Division, called for a shift in how the industry measures quality. “Patient safety today sits at the intersection of governance, AI, regulation, and collaboration,” he said. “Quality and outcomes are usually assumed. Rather, they must be incentivized.”
Jonathan Perlin, CEO of Joint Commission International, reinforced the need for trust in healthcare systems. “Responsible AI must be integrated into healthcare operations, not bolted on,” he said, stressing that accountability across settings remains central to building lasting patient confidence.
On the sidelines, the event hosted a startup showcase and a conversation between journalist Arnab Goswami and Apollo Health Co executive chairperson Shobana Kamineni on why health awareness rarely translates into action.
