While the Tamil Nadu public health system is one of the best in the country, demonstrating great achievements in maternal and child health care, challenges such as the growing burden of non-communicable diseases require innovative, technology-led solutions. This is where, perhaps, a partnership with the private sector and industry could help, Tamil Nadu Health Secretary Darez Ahamed said.

He was speaking at TN MedClave, 2026, of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on the theme ‘Intelligent Healthcare: From Innovation to Implementation’, held on Saturday.

Noting that hypertension, diabetes, cancer and mental health were some of the big emerging challenges in the healthcare sector, Dr. Ahamed said cardiac issues were one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the State and it was here — in ensuring that interventions reached people on time — that innovation could play a role, but this had to co-exist with implementation.

Tracing patients across the health system and ensuring continuity of care for chronic diseases were other issues that needed tackling. The State had proved it could deliver quality care at scale, he added.

He said the government was willing to partner to tackle these challenges jointly with the private sector and implored the conclave to take on these challenges, come up with solutions collaboratively, and importantly, evaluate progress in the future.

A Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to R.V. Ramani, founder and managing trustee, Sankara Eye Foundation. Dr. Ramani highlighted the importance of evaluating progress in healthcare, the need for strong human resources, and making healthcare accessible to all, and stressed the importance of not compromising on any ethical values.

Sathish Devadoss, convener of the CII TN Healthcare Panel, spoke of the need for technology to positively impact patients in their everyday experiences and for innovation to be affordable, practical and suited to its setting. C. Devarajan, chairman, CII, Tamil Nadu, and Praveen Raj P., co-convener, CII TN Healthcare Panel, participated in the event.