India has emerged as one of the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region's most AI-ready healthcare markets, with 78% of Indian consumers using generative AI (GenAI) to better understand diagnoses and treatment options, according to a report released on Wednesday, 17 June by global consultancy Bain & Company. The findings highlight a rapid digital shift in how Indians engage with healthcare — driven by unmet demand for convenience, coordination, and affordability.

How Indians Are Using GenAI in Healthcare

The Bain & Company report found that 73% of Indian consumers use GenAI to prepare for medical appointments, while 72% use it to navigate the healthcare system. These figures place India at the forefront of AI adoption in healthcare across the APAC region, outpacing several more developed markets in consumer-level GenAI engagement.

Gen Z consumers are a key driver of this trend, with 66% of Gen Z respondents using online pharmacies and demonstrating higher engagement with AI-enabled healthcare tools and services compared to older cohorts.

What Indian Consumers Expect From Healthcare

Consumer expectations in India are rising sharply. According to the report, 88% of Indian respondents said they expect more convenient healthcare experiences, and 79% expect phone and messaging accessibility from their doctors. A striking 93% of Indian respondents said they want a single point of coordination across their entire healthcare journey — reflecting deep frustration with fragmentation.

That frustration is well-founded: more than 45% of consumers reported difficulties navigating the healthcare system, and 62% said they often need to consult multiple providers before receiving the right diagnosis or treatment plan.

Persistent Challenges: Cost, Wait Times, and Access

Despite the digital momentum, healthcare affordability and access remain significant barriers. The report found that 43% of Indian respondents cited high costs as a key challenge, 42% flagged long wait times, and 30% mentioned delays in securing appointments. These structural gaps are, in part, what is accelerating the shift toward AI-enabled care models and alternative service delivery.

This comes amid a broader APAC trend where rising consumer expectations are colliding with a stretched clinical workforce, pushing healthcare systems toward new models of care and digital support infrastructure.

Where India Lags: Alternate Care and Telehealth

Despite its AI-readiness, India continues to trail the regional average in alternate site-of-care adoption — at 42% versus an APAC average of 57%. Traditional healthcare providers retain strong trust: 85% of respondents cited primary care physicians as their preferred primary touchpoint, and 75% cited hospitals. Around 59% favoured an in-person clinic as their primary coordination point.

Telehealth, meanwhile, remains largely complementary in India — used for non-acute cases rather than as a substitute for in-person care. Limited payer-driven steerage in India's predominantly cash-pay market constrains its broader adoption, the report noted.

What Comes Next

The Bain & Company findings suggest that the opportunity for AI-enabled healthcare platforms and integrated care coordinators in India is substantial — but capturing it will require addressing the affordability gap alongside the digital one. With Gen Z already driving adoption and consumer expectations rising across all age groups, healthcare providers and policymakers face mounting pressure to close the gap between digital readiness and on-the-ground delivery.