Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday described preventive healthcare as the "future model" of the healthcare system, citing changing disease patterns, rising treatment costs and India's ageing population as key reasons for shifting the focus towards early detection and prevention.

Addressing the inauguration of a Mahajan Imaging and Labs facility here, Singh said non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, cancer, kidney failure and mental health disorders were increasingly becoming major health concerns.

"These diseases do not develop in a day. They develop gradually in the body over years. High sugar, high cholesterol, fatty liver and borderline blood pressure are all warning signs. The future of healthcare lies in identifying these warning signs in time," he said.

Singh said preventive healthcare also made economic sense as treating advanced diseases could cost lakhs of rupees, while annual health check-ups, lifestyle counselling, early screening and basic medication could cost hundreds or a few thousand rupees.

"As health expenditure increases, the government, insurance companies and employers will all want diseases to be stopped at an early stage," he said.

He cited demographic changes as another reason for adopting the preventive model. India currently has a predominantly young population, but a large proportion of the population is expected to be elderly by 2050.

"If we do not adopt the preventive model now, the burden on hospitals will naturally increase in the future," Singh said.

He said preventive healthcare was a matter of "national economy and national security" and called for all stakeholders to contribute towards making it the "new normal".

Singh said the focus of healthcare should not remain limited to treating diseases after they appear but should include prevention, early detection, risk assessment and personalised healthcare.

He said diagnostic medicine was undergoing a major transformation with artificial intelligence, advanced medical imaging, molecular diagnostics, digital pathology, automation, genomics and data-driven healthcare.

However, Singh cautioned that "technology alone could not define excellent healthcare" and stressed the "need to protect sensitive patient data, maintain transparency in the use of AI, avoid bias and give priority to patient safety".

"When a person comes for a test, he brings his anxiety, fear and hope. Protecting that trust is the biggest responsibility of everyone in healthcare," he said.

Singh said India had a large pool of doctors, scientists, engineers and researchers, along with a rapidly expanding digital ecosystem and a vibrant startup environment, giving the country an opportunity to lead healthcare innovation.

He said the government had sought to connect a large section of the population with affordable modern healthcare and credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with launching Ayushman Bharat, which he described as the world's largest health insurance programme.

He said around 35 crore people had so far received quality treatment under the scheme.

Singh said Uttar Pradesh had witnessed considerable improvement in healthcare over the past decade, with more than five crore beneficiaries enrolled under Ayushman Bharat and over 80 lakh having availed its benefits.

The former UP chief minister said the state now had more than 45 medical colleges, compared with 12 before 2017, while MBBS and postgraduate seats had increased more than threefold.

"The biggest measure of the success of any government should be whether its benefits are reaching the person standing at the last rung of society," Singh said.

He expressed confidence that Uttar Pradesh would emerge among the leading states, particularly in healthcare.

Concluding his address, Singh said, "A healthy society builds a strong nation," and recited the Sanskrit prayer, "Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah, Sarve Santu Niramayah" (May all be happy, may all be free from illness).