Healthcare startup Qure.ai is betting on partnerships with central and state governments as it seeks to scale its artificial intelligence-led diagnostic tools, particularly for diseases like tuberculosis (TB). The focus on public sector contracts comes as AI uptake in India’s private healthcare market remains slow.
The company, which offers AI tools for screening TB, lung cancer, and stroke, currently derives less than 5% of its overall revenue from India. However, CEO and founder Prashant Warier sees a “substantial opportunity” in tapping into the public health market, especially given the country’s disproportionate burden of TB.
India accounted for 25% of the global TB cases in 2024, according to the WHO’s Global Tuberculosis Report 2025. This challenge is largely centred in public health systems.
“If you look at TB, it is the public sector government hospitals that have TB and one-fourth of the world’s TB cases. So, we said, ‘Why shouldn’t we solve the TB problem in India?'” Warier said in an interview.
Qure.ai has only sharpened its focus on government partnerships over the last year, a strategic shift Warier expects will yield major results.
“As a market in India, we are focusing on providing TB solutions to the Indian government, both state and central government. And there we feel there is a substantial opportunity to build a large commercial organization in India focused on the Indian government for TB,” Warier said, adding, “we will see a lot of results coming through on that in the next one or two years.”
The company is currently collaborating with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the central government on TB screening programmes. Qure.ai has already secured key state-level partnerships in Goa, Karnataka and Jammu and Kashmir. Earlier this year, it began offering its AI stroke screening tool to the Punjab government for use in select district hospitals.
Warier indicated that cracking the government market could dramatically expand its reach within India. While Qure.ai works with 4,500 hospitals globally, only about 5-10% are currently in India. The company aims to add up to 3,000 hospitals worldwide this year.
“Suddenly one deployment, you deploy across 500 hospitals…the way it is growing right now, maybe a disproportionate number of new additions might come from India,” he said.
Utilising the Public-Private Partnership model
Diagnostics players are increasingly utilizing the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, which can provide a valuable foundation for AI firms to integrate their technology. Warier confirmed Qure.ai plans to engage either directly with governments or partner with companies involved in PPPs.
Qure.ai is not alone in pursuing this avenue; other health AI firms, such as Niramai Health Analytix, have also collaborated with state governments.
While India holds future growth potential, Qure.ai’s current revenue engine is overseas. The US accounts for about a third of its overall revenue, followed by Europe at 10-15%, with the remainder coming from low- and middle-income countries.
Warier attributes the lower commercial opportunity in India’s private sector to its smaller size and the limited capacity to pay for advanced AI solutions compared to insured markets like the US.
The company is actively planning to increase its push into European markets, including Germany, France, Spain, and the Netherlands, and is evaluating acquisitions to gain market access or boost its product portfolio.
Financially, Qure.ai saw its operating revenue grow 24.5% to ₹175.5 crore in fiscal year 2025, according to Entrackr. However, rising costs widened its losses by 87.5% to ₹90 crore. Qure.ai has raised a total of $121 million from investors like Peak XV Partners, HealthQuad and Novo Holdings, with its last funding round in November 2024 valuing it at $264 million. Warier expects the company to turn profitable in the next couple of years as its global and Indian public-sector initiatives gain momentum.
#Qure.ai #scale #govt #partnerships #health #screenings #India
