Rising patient expectations and a stretched clinical workforce are straining healthcare systems, according to a report by Bain & Company. This was “accelerating the shift toward new care models and AI-enabled support,” it added.

In fact, India stood out as an “AI-ready” healthcare market, Bain’s Asia-Pacific Front Line of Healthcare report said, “with 78 per cent of consumers using GenAI to better understand diagnoses and treatment options”.

“Consumer expectations are rising faster than experience can keep up, clinicians are ready to walk away from overburdened systems, and AI capabilities are outpacing organizational readiness,” the report said, revealing tension in the healthcare system. The report surveyed 6,300 consumers across nine Asia-Pacific markets — Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam — and doctors in Australia and the Philippines.

“Today, 84 per cent of consumers expect greater convenience from the healthcare system, while 71 per cent expect doctors to be more responsive through channels such as phone, WhatsApp or email. Three out of five consumers now also schedule regular checkups and screenings, compared to 47 per cent in 2023,” a note on the report said. These expectations are pronounced in India — “nearly nine in ten (i.e. 88 per cent) consumers expect more convenient healthcare experiences, 79 per cent expect phone and messaging accessibility from doctors, and 93 per cent want a single point of coordination across their healthcare journey.”

“The region’s healthcare systems are approaching an inflection point where rising demand, workforce scarcity and fragmented care delivery models are converging at the same time,” said Vikram Kapur, head of Bain & Company’s Global Healthcare & Life Sciences practice. The challenge is in “redesigning how care is coordinated, delivered and experienced,” he added.

AI-ready India

“India is emerging as one of the region’s most AI-receptive healthcare markets,” the note said. “78 per cent of consumers use GenAI to better understand diagnoses and treatment options, while 73 per cent use it to prepare for appointments, and 72 per cent leverage it to navigate the healthcare system.” Further, it adds, “Gen Z are driving digital health adoption, with 66 per cent of Gen Z respondents using online pharmacies and demonstrating higher engagement with AI-enabled healthcare tools and services.”

Dhruv Sukhrani, head of Bain & Company’s India Healthcare & Life Sciences practice, said on the India findings that 89 per cent were interested in prioritising prevention and lifestyle changes, and nearly half reported higher spending on nutrition supplements and fitness. “There is an increasing use of GenAI to understand diagnoses and treatment pathways, and rising expectations around convenience and coordination,” he added.

“Clinician strain is also intensifying across the region. One in five doctors report actively considering leaving their current employer, driven primarily by excessive workload, lack of recognition and burnout. Around one in three doctors also report significant waste and inefficiency in their daily work, including excessive forms and paperwork, low-value repetitive tasks and delays caused by fragmented workflows and coordination gaps,” the report noted.

Published on June 17, 2026