New Delhi [India], December 8 (ANI): Norway’s Health and Care Services Minister Jan Christian Vestre has said his government aims to deepen collaboration with India’s rapidly advancing digital health ecosystem, calling the country’s achievements in digital public infrastructure, population-scale health services, and artificial intelligence “nothing short of incredible.”
In an interview with ANI, Vestre highlighted that both nations share a common vision of using digitalisation to ensure equitable access to healthcare — a principle central to India’s flagship programmes, including Ayushman Bharat, the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), and the Make in India initiative for health-sector innovation.
Describing India’s digital transformation as a “global benchmark,” he praised the country’s ability to design and implement digital systems that seamlessly deliver services to more than a billion people. “Countries around the world have taken notice of how India has built a fully digital public infrastructure,” he said. “Digitizing services and bringing them seamlessly to people at population scale — the biggest in the world — is nothing short of incredible. The world, including Norway, has so much to learn from your approach.”
Vestre also noted that India’s early adoption of AI-driven language models in healthcare aligns closely with Norway’s own priorities. “Norway is investing heavily not only in AI research but also in how we can democratize the benefits of AI,” he said. “As Health Minister, I am particularly interested in how we can use AI to accelerate diagnostics, treatments, and patient care.”
He further highlighted the strong and longstanding collaboration between India and Norway on digital public goods — an area of growing global interest as India expands these models into new sectors and technologies. “India’s approach of making digital public goods globally accessible is something we deeply appreciate,” Vestre said, adding that Norway is eager to help shape the next phase of cooperation with an even more robust digital focus.
Vestre’s visit to India, which included meetings with Health Minister J.P. Nadda and participation in the Bengaluru Tech Summit, marked a renewed push to strengthen the India-Norway health partnership following the entry into force of the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) on October 1.
Calling his meeting with Nadda “a point of departure” for deeper collaboration, Vestre said the next steps will involve technical teams exploring priority areas shaped by shifting disease patterns, climate impacts, demographic changes, and rapid technological advancement.
Reflecting on his longstanding engagement with India, he noted his earlier role in finalising the TEPA during his tenure as Norway’s Minister of Trade and Industry. “This trip was full of testaments that Norway and India not only have a strong partnership, but also a strong friendship,” he said.
While specific areas of cooperation will be developed by experts on both sides, Vestre reaffirmed Norway’s strong backing for universal health coverage and primary healthcare — priorities that resonate across the G20 and the World Health Organization, where Norway currently holds a seat on the Executive Board.
Looking ahead, he expressed optimism that the India-Norway partnership will “prosper and grow stronger” over the next 5–10 years as new technologies continue to transform global health systems. “Despite our differences in size, our nations have much to offer each other,” Vestre said. “As we move forward, I hope we may leverage our strengths and opportunities for a shared commitment to global health and the innovative and sustainable development of health services.”
About The Author
