Telemedicon 2025 wasn’t just another conference—it was a landmark celebration.
From November 27-30, the global digital health community gathered at Bengaluru’s iconic IISc campus to mark 25 Years of Telemedicine in India. A journey that has quietly reshaped how care reaches millions.
The event united a powerful mix of healthcare pioneers, from policymakers and hospital leaders to med-tech innovators and frontline clinicians.
Together, they discussed what the next phase of healthcare delivery should look like. They shaped the future of healthcare delivery within an intentionally eco-conscious framework.
Setting the tone: Leadership and vision
The conference opened with a ceremonial lamp lighting, led by Dr Sunil Kumar Barnwal, CEO of the National Health Authority (NHA), who joined as Chief Guest and delivered the keynote address on India’s digital health vision.
He was joined by Shri Dinesh Gundu Rao, Hon’ble Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Government of Karnataka, at the Grand Inaugural Function.
From the very start, the message was clear: telemedicine is no longer an add-on. It’s foundational to India’s digital health future.
ABDM and telemedicine’s future
In his keynote, Dr Barnwal placed telemedicine squarely at the centre of India’s digital health revolution. He outlined a powerful vision: to build a “UPI-like layer for healthcare” using India’s ABDM framework.
Powered by ABHA IDs and unified digital registries, this framework aims to:
- Simplify patient journeys
- Mandate interoperability
- Close long-standing trust and access gaps across the system
He also highlighted the real-world impact already underway. With 43+ crore eSanjeevani teleconsultations completed, telemedicine is saving time, lives, and resources at a national scale.
Representing the NHA, Ms Rajlakshmi Das and Ms Meenakshi Jha reinforced this message, emphasising that tighter integration between ABDM and telemedicine is essential for building resilient, truly connected health systems.
Deep dive into AI and future technologies
The future of healthcare is being reshaped by artificial intelligence, and the conference provided a clear roadmap for its adoption.
If telemedicine defined the past 25 years, AI clearly defined the next chapter.
The AI functional pyramid
Public policy expert Dr Rajendra Pratap Gupta introduced a compelling vision with his AI Functional Pyramid Model. A framework that maps AI’s evolution from basic automation to strategic leadership.
The pyramid begins with data and algorithms at its base, rising through intelligence and autonomy, and ultimately toward AI-enabled leadership. His central point resonated strongly:
Progress must be intentional, responsible, and inclusive. Smarter systems mean little without trust, ethics, and equity.
Teaching doctors to work with AI
In a compelling session, Amit Kumar Dey, Consultant Physician, spoke about AI’s growing role in clinical practice.
Medicine, he emphasised, is shifting from purely evidence-based to data-driven precision care, powered by tools like large language models. His takeaways were refreshingly practical:
- AI literacy is now a core clinical skill
- Training must focus on real-world use cases
- Medical curricula must address ethics, bias, and regulation
- True progress requires collaboration between doctors, data scientists, and policymakers
Space medicine
One of Telemedicon 2025’s most talked-about sessions explored a frontier far beyond hospital walls: space medicine.
Experts tackled the unique healthcare challenges of microgravity, from monitoring vital signs when the body floats freely in zero gravity to delivering telemedicine from orbit.
The discussion gained rare depth with insights from astronaut Angad Pratap, who shared the rigorous mental and medical preparation behind India’s upcoming Gaganyaan mission (2027).
Adding to the excitement, Dr Murthy Remilla, a leader from the space industry, energised the audience with fascinating details and the science behind the Chandrayaan missions, making space health feel both complex and surprisingly human.
Startups, pitches, and recognition
TELEMEDICON 2025 teamed up with SteerX Ventures to spotlight the next generation of health tech. The event created a prime arena for early-stage and growth-stage startups to pitch their ideas directly to active healthcare investors.
Startups working across AI, telemedicine, digital diagnostics, and remote patient monitoring gained access to:
- Live investor feedback
- Curated networking
- Discounted exhibition opportunities
Over 15 founders showcased their ideas in a lively preliminary pitch round on November 28th.
Celebrating the winners
The competition was fierce with 300+ applicants. Top honours:
- Startup of the Year 2025 went to Janitri, powerfully validating their innovative work in maternal and newborn health monitoring.
- SteerX Public Choice Startup of the Year Award 2025 was awarded to MyRx for helping patients manage prescriptions through a connected, tech-enabled experience.
The innovation sprint: The Hackathon
The energy continued with a major hackathon, drawing over 200 teams from across India and beyond. Five finalists presented their working prototypes to a distinguished jury, which included Bharat Gera, founder of a Human Centric Healthcare Ecosystem.
The winning team from MGM Physiotherapy impressed everyone with their “smart foot box.” An ingenious device designed to screen for foot anomalies, from flat feet to diabetic foot complications.
The team was celebrated alongside Major Dr Ashlesha Tawde Kelkar from MUHS, marking a fantastic achievement in practical, patient-centred innovation.
Interoperability and industry perspectives
Interoperability was another recurring theme throughout the conference. Dr Nagesh R, Medical Director at Kauvery Hospitals, joined a thought-provoking panel titled:
“What is? What if? What works? & What wows? – Breaking down Digital Health”
The panel included Mr Uday Davda, Dr Reema Nadig, and Mr Mohammed Farouk, with Dr Alexander Thomas and Mr Rajarajan S moderating the discussion.
Complementing this, HL7-led workshops drew strong interest, with over 60 participants enrolling. Kumar Satyam and Dr Chandil Kumar emphasised why standards-based implementation is critical for scalable, future-ready healthcare systems.
Leadership behind the scenes
An event of this scale doesn’t happen without strong leadership. Much of Telemedicon 2025’s success was credited to Dr Uma Nambiar, Chairperson, along with the dedicated IISc organising team.
The community also extended best wishes to Sunil Shroff as he continues to take Telemedicine Society of India (TSI) to new heights in his role as President.
Wrapping up
As Telemedicon closed its 25th-anniversary edition, one thing felt unmistakable: India’s digital health story has moved from experimentation to execution.
With policy, technology, and clinical insight converging, the blueprint for the next era is already in motion. India isn’t just adopting digital health—it’s helping define it.
The next chapter will be written in code, guided by compassion, and delivered at scale.
-By Alkama Sohail and the AHT Team
