The day-long forum witnessed discussions on critical themes, including precision diagnostics, artificial intelligence adoption etc
The 4th Edition of the National Diagnostics Forum & Awards 2026 recently concluded in Mumbai. The day-long forum witnessed discussions on critical themes, including precision diagnostics, artificial intelligence adoption, public-private partnerships, and the business dynamics driving consolidation in the sector.
The forum opened with keynote addresses from Dr Nishchal Naveen, Co-founder (Cygnus Hospitals and Meddo – Doxper), Dr Suchita Markan, Scientist F & Head, Innovation & Translation Research Division (ITR), Mission-In-Charge, Medical Device and Diagnostics Mission Secretariat (MDMS), ICMR and Sanjay Jha, Founder, Apaan Medtech, Co-founder Collateral Medical, Former Board Member, HealthCube.
Dr Somnath Chatterjee, Chairman and Joint MD, Suraksha Diagnostics said, “The future of diagnostics is moving rapidly toward early cancer detection and truly personalized treatment. Today, advances in sequencing and AI are making it possible to detect cancer at stage 1—or even late stage 0—before symptoms appear. This opens the door to interventions that could completely prevent the disease from progressing. The vision is that, very soon, everyone could use simple tools—like a smartphone connected to advanced diagnostic platforms—to feed in their health data and receive personalised treatment recommendations. These insights will combine genetics, lifestyle, and clinical history to guide care that is unique to each individual.With emerging technologies, including quantum computing and massive databases capable of processing trillions of data points per second, this kind of personalised medicine will become faster, cheaper, and widely accessible. The goal is to shift healthcare from reactive treatment to proactive, precision prevention, making early detection and personalised care a standard part of life.”
Dheeraj Jain, Chairman and Founder, Redcliff Labs, stated, “Diagnostics has come a long way—from basic lab tests and delayed reports to real-time, convenient sample collection. Today, with Gen Z and Gen Alpha making up a large part of consumers, their focus is on fitness, mindful nutrition, sleep, and overall wellness. The future of diagnostics isn’t just about detecting illness—it’s about enabling healthier lifestyles, supporting prevention, and helping people optimise their performance and well-being.”
Sriram Iyer, CEO, Apollo Health & Lifestyle, emphasised, “Non-communicable diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, and obesity affect over 100 million people today, and their severity isn’t slowing down. The future of care lies in personalized interventions—combining diagnostic results, lifestyle habits, and DNA markers to create truly tailor-made solutions for each individual. This approach allows us to prevent, manage, and optimize health uniquely for everyone.”
Dr Arjun Dang, CEO and Partner, Dr Dang’s Lab, stated, “At Dr Dang’s Lab, we believe healthcare isn’t one-size-fits-all. Most people end up taking random or redundant tests because of generic packages. That’s why we created ‘Discover by Dr Dang’, a free, lab-agnostic platform that personalizes diagnostics based on individual health goals, family history, and lifestyle—helping people get exactly the tests they need and take control of their health.”
Dr Ramesh Kinha, COO, Thyrocare Technologies, said, “Technology plays a critical role in scaling both research and patient care. It allows us to go beyond just processing data in the lab—we can connect different resources, integrate information, and understand the real impact of each test on a patient’s health. By embedding technology into our workflows, we can accelerate research, monitor results in real time, predict outcomes, and respond quickly to patient feedback. It also helps build a culture where teams focus on meaningful insights rather than just numbers. In short, technology doesn’t replace the human element—it enhances it, enabling us to deliver better, faster, and more personalised care while expanding the reach and scale of our research.”
Devendrasingh Rajput, CBO – Pharma & Pathlabs, Indira IVF Group, stated, “What sets our IVF programme apart is our strong focus on patient outcomes. In India, around 53 million people need IVF, yet access remains limited. Our goal is to democratise care while ensuring the highest fidelity in screening and treatment. We place a strong emphasis on genetic and genomic testing—like PGD and PGT—which helps us prevent hereditary disorders and guide patients toward the most suitable interventions. Using these insights, we can select the right embryos and optimize treatment protocols. AI and diagnostic data further enhance our ability to predict outcomes, tailor treatment doses, and improve success rates. This patient-focused approach not only increases effectiveness but also ensures higher satisfaction for those we serve.”
The event concluded with the Diagnostics Excellence Awards 2026, celebrating organisations and individuals for outstanding contributions to innovation, quality, leadership, and patient-centric diagnostics.
