Key points
- Greater Mumbai's 12,442,373 residents at the 2011 Census reported Marathi as mother tongue for 35.4%, Hindi for 28.9%, Urdu for 11.7% and Gujarati for 11.5%.1
- India received 507,244 foreign nationals for medical treatment in 2025, and Mumbai had 6 JCI accredited hospitals in 2022, second only to Delhi.5
- The DPDP Rules 2025 started an 18 month phased compliance timeline in November 2025, and the Act sets penalties up to INR 250 crore for failing to protect personal data.32
- ABDM had 97.61 crore ABHA IDs and 119.95 crore linked health records by 17 September 2026.4
- The Maharashtra Medical Council keeps the state register, with 2,26,663 registered medical practitioners, and runs a public Doctor Search.9
Summary
A Mumbai clinic can use AI for consult notes and patient messages when patients are given a clear consent notice under the DPDP Act, a registered doctor signs every note and a person approves every message. The rules that matter in 2026 are the DPDP Act 2023 and Rules 2025, the NMC Act's registration requirement, ICMR's AI guidelines and ABDM for linked records.
Mumbai clinics now answer patients in Marathi, Hindi, Urdu and Gujarati within minutes at any hour, and international patients in English and Arabic, with a doctor or coordinator approving every reply. India's data protection rules are being phased in around that work.
Part of the NABH hub, with the framework explained, a readiness checklist and 7 guides.
See it in your clinicThirty minutes on your own patients and doctors.
Request a demoSee a Hindi WhatsApp enquiry and an Arabic message from an international patient turned into drafts your coordinator approves, in fifteen minutes.
| Body or law | Rule | What to ask | How wai meets it |
|---|---|---|---|
| NMC Act 2019, s34, Maharashtra Medical Council | Only registered doctors practise and sign certificates | Who signs each AI-drafted note | The doctor reviews and signs every note and letter, and the Doctor Search confirms the registration |
| DPDP Act 2023 and Rules 2025, Data Protection Board | Standalone consent notices, breach notice, rights requests within 90 days | How consent and requests are recorded | Every message, draft, approval and signature logged and exportable |
| DPDP Act s16 | Transfers restricted to countries the government notifies | Which country holds the records and each subprocessor | Records hosted in India, set up with your clinic |
| ICMR AI ethical guidelines 2023 | Humans keep complete control of medical decision-making | Can anything reach a patient without approval | wai drafts and a person at the clinic approves each message |
| ABDM, National Health Authority | ABHA IDs and linked health records | How documents reach the patient's linked records | wai is built to connect to ABDM, set up with your clinic |
The private care market in Mumbai
Greater Mumbai counted 12,442,373 residents at the 2011 Census, the latest with mother tongue detail.1 Private clinics and hospital outpatient departments serve that population and a steady flow of patients from abroad.
In 2025, 507,244 foreign nationals came to India for medical treatment, about 5.5% of 9.15 million foreign tourist arrivals, led by Bangladesh, Iraq, Uzbekistan, Somalia, Turkmenistan and Oman.5 The same government brief counts 6 JCI accredited hospitals in Mumbai as of 2022, behind Delhi's 9 and ahead of every other city.5
The rules a clinic in Mumbai works under
Only a doctor enrolled in a State Register or the National Register may practise medicine as a qualified medical practitioner or sign medical certificates, under section 34 of the National Medical Commission Act 2019.7 In Mumbai the State Register is kept by the Maharashtra Medical Council, which counts 2,26,663 registered practitioners and offers a public Doctor Search to check a registration.9
The Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 was enacted on 11 August 2023, and the DPDP Rules 2025 were notified in November 2025 with an 18 month phased compliance timeline.3 Clinics must give standalone, plain consent notices for each purpose, tell patients promptly about a breach and answer requests to access, correct or erase data within 90 days.3 The Act's schedule sets penalties up to INR 250 crore for failing to take reasonable security safeguards and up to INR 200 crore for failing to notify a breach.2
Section 16 lets the Central Government restrict transfers to countries it notifies, and keeps any Indian law with stricter transfer rules in force.2 For AI specifically, ICMR's 2023 ethical guidelines state that humans should have complete control of AI based healthcare systems and medical decision-making.6 The DPDP consent notice is where the clinic tells patients a scribe is in use, and wai records only with the patient's agreement.
ABDM is the national layer for linked records, with 97.61 crore ABHA IDs, 119.95 crore linked health records, 5.78 lakh verified facilities and over 11 lakh registered professionals as of 17 September 2026.4 wai is built to connect to ABDM. We set up your clinic's connection with you.
wai hosts each clinic's records in its own country, under that country's rules. We set this up with your clinic. wai is compliant with these rules and built for clinics in Mumbai. For a Mumbai clinic that means India.
The languages Mumbai patients write in
Of Greater Mumbai's 12,442,373 residents in 2011, 35.4% reported Marathi as mother tongue, 28.9% Hindi, 11.7% Urdu and 11.5% Gujarati, followed by Tamil at 2.4%, Sindhi at 1.7% and Telugu and Konkani at 1.6% each.1
International patients add English and Arabic, with Iraq and Oman among the top sources of medical arrivals in 2025.5 wai works in any language, Arabic among them, and every draft goes to the team before it sends.8
What a demo shows in Mumbai
The demo opens on a Hindi WhatsApp message sent at 11pm from Andheri, asking to move a Saturday follow-up, and an Arabic enquiry from Muscat about a knee consultation before a planned trip. wai matches each to the patient's thread, reads the doctors' busy times from Google Calendar or Outlook and drafts replies offering open slots. The coordinator approves them at 9am.
A missed call from the Bandra rooms becomes a drafted text within minutes. In the consult, the note and the discharge letter are written while the doctor talks, and the doctor signs before anything leaves the room. Invoices and claims for insurers are prepared from the signed note. Bring last month's real messages, in Marathi, Gujarati or any language they arrived in, and judge the drafts yourself.
For health systems, governments and insurers in Mumbai
Hospital groups, municipal and state health services and insurers need DPDP-ready consent, Indian hosting and a full audit trail across many sites. wai builds clinical documentation, patient contact and one record across services around a defined pathway, with data, configuration and model rights agreed in the contract. The approach is on the page for health systems and governments.
Where to start
First, write the DPDP consent notice for the clinic in English, Marathi and Hindi, and name the AI scribe and drafted replies in it.3 Second, get the hosting country and every subprocessor in writing, check them against section 16 and file them with the data residency checklist.2
Third, name the registered doctor who signs each AI-drafted note, in line with ICMR's human control principle.6 Fourth, count last month's enquiries by language, channel and hour, and use that count as the pilot's baseline. Book a Mumbai demo and bring it. This page is general information on Indian law as read on 14 October 2026, and the clinic's own counsel should confirm how it applies.
Bring a week of your Mumbai enquiries, in every language they arrive in, and see the drafts your coordinator would approve.
Frequently asked questions
Does the DPDP Act apply to a private clinic in Mumbai?
Yes. It applies to entities processing digital personal data, and the 2025 Rules set an 18 month phased timeline with standalone consent notices and breach notice duties.3
Can patient data be stored outside India?
The Act lets the government restrict transfers to notified countries and keeps stricter sector laws in force.2 Hosting in India keeps the clinic clear of both.
What are the penalties under the DPDP Act?
Up to INR 250 crore for failing to take reasonable security safeguards, and up to INR 200 crore for failing to notify a breach.2
Do clinics have to use ABDM?
ABDM is the national network for linked records, with 97.61 crore ABHA IDs by September 2026.4 wai is built to connect to it, set up with each clinic.
What does ICMR say about AI in patient care?
Its 2023 guidelines state that humans should have complete control of AI based healthcare systems and medical decision-making.6
Does wai reply to patients on its own?
No. wai drafts each reply in the clinic's voice, and a person at the clinic approves it before it sends. Clinical questions go to a doctor.
Sources
- 1Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India, 2011C-16 City, Population by mother tongue (town level), Maharashtra, Census of India 2011Read 14 October 2026Read source
- 2Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, 2023The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (No. 22 of 2023), Gazette of IndiaRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 3Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Electronics and IT, 2025Government notifies DPDP Rules to empower citizens and protect privacyRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 4Press Information Bureau, 2026Progressing Towards Universal Health Coverage, PIB BackgrounderRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 5Press Information Bureau, 2026Medical and Wellness Tourism in India, PIB research documentRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 6Indian Council of Medical Research, 2023Ethical Guidelines for Application of Artificial Intelligence in Biomedical Research and HealthcareRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 7Gazette of India, 2019The National Medical Commission Act, 2019, section 34Read 14 October 2026Read source
- 8wai, 2026wai changelog, intake answered by voice in any languageRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 9Maharashtra Medical Council, 2026Maharashtra Medical Council, official portalRead 14 October 2026Read source
Every Mumbai patient answered in their own language.
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