How Fujifilm is Using AI to Crack India’s Tier 2 and Tier 3 Healthcare

For decades, Fujifilm was synonymous with cameras, film rolls, and photo studios. That legacy still exists, but it no longer defines the company’s centre of gravity. In India, Fujifilm increasingly looks less like an imaging brand with a healthcare arm and more like a healthcare company built on imaging, data, and AI.

Koji Wada, Managing Director of Fujifilm India, arrived in India in 2021 with a simple mandate to build a future-ready Fujifilm without losing the company’s core identity. Four years later, what has surprised him most is not growth but speed.

“Technology adoption, especially AI and digital solutions, is moving far faster than anticipated,” Wada tells AIM. “This rapid pace has required us to continuously evolve our internal systems, service models, and talent capabilities.”

That shift defines Fujifilm India in 2026. The company is no longer positioning healthcare as a vertical. It is becoming part of its main business.

The numbers tell the first part of the story. Wada says that Fujifilm India is on track for comfortable double-digit growth this year. Its installed base has crossed 79,000 medical imaging systems nationwide. CT, MRI, mammography, and endoscopy are no longer niche lines. They are now core engines.

Healthcare First, AI Next

“What exceeded initial expectations was the speed at which India emerged as a strategic growth and innovation market within the Fujifilm global ecosystem,” Wada says. India no longer serves only as a sales market. It now functions as a proving ground for scale, AI adoption, and population-level healthcare programmes.

For FY 2025–26, Fujifilm has prioritised healthcare as its first growth pillar. Imaging and printing form the second, followed by business innovation and services.

Within healthcare, AI has emerged as a quiet but powerful multiplier.

“We are actively investing in AI-powered platforms such as Synapse AI and advanced endoscopy solutions like CAD EYE,” Wada says. “These tools enhance diagnostic accuracy, reduce clinician fatigue, and support early detection.”

He draws a clear line on AI’s role. “Technology alone cannot transform healthcare,” Wada says. “The expertise and dedication of healthcare professionals make innovation meaningful.”

That philosophy explains Fujifilm’s strategy in India. Before scaling AI-led workflows, the company focuses on training radiologists, clinicians, and technicians. Its capacity-building programmes aim to build confidence first and introduce automation gradually.

The same approach guides Fujifilm’s regulatory posture.

“Every AI solution undergoes rigorous validation to ensure it complements clinical decision making rather than replacing it,” Wada says. “We see regulation not as a constraint but as a necessary enabler of trust.” 

In a market where AI in healthcare often races ahead of policy, Fujifilm is choosing a slower, steadier path.

India as an AI Testbed

India offers more than scale. According to Wada, depth beyond metro markets sets the country apart. “The pace at which Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets adopt advanced diagnostics and AI-enabled screening is significantly faster than in many other APAC markets,” he says.

Public health programs for tuberculosis screening, breast cancer detection, and tele radiology are already using AI-powered imaging in non-metro regions. “These are live, real-world examples of how AI is expanding access while improving quality,” he says.

In effect, Fujifilm turns India into a laboratory for decentralised diagnostics, portable systems, AI triage, remote reading, and outreach-based care models at scale. Solutions tested here can later be deployed in other emerging markets.

Fujifilm’s transition from film to imaging to healthcare is well documented globally. In India, the company continues to manage that balance carefully.

“Balancing legacy businesses with newer growth engines is not about choosing one over the other,” Wada says. “It is about building on our strengths while evolving with the needs of society.” 

Cameras still sell. Creative professionals still buy. Printing continues to grow in the packaging and commercial segments. But leadership focus has clearly shifted.

Healthcare has become the fastest-growing business. Endoscopy grew by over 30% year on year in 2025. CT and MRI continue to expand in tertiary hospitals. Mammography is becoming both a business line and a social mission.

The Biggest Focus for Fujifilm within Healthcare

If one programme defines Fujifilm India’s healthcare focus, it is mammography.

“Find it early, fight it early,” Wada says.

Fujifilm has made breast cancer screening its flagship public health initiative. The company runs mobile outreach programmes, builds community awareness, partners with local hospitals, and takes high-end imaging beyond hospital walls.

“This reflects how we see our role in healthcare as a committed partner in women’s health,” Wada says. “Innovation leads to earlier diagnoses, better outcomes, and healthier lives.” 

In a country where late detection remains common, mammography sits at the intersection of technology, policy, and impact.

Wada measures success through outcomes rather than product counts. Earlier disease detection, improved access to diagnostics, and alignment with national health priorities guide Fujifilm’s strategy.

In five years, he wants Fujifilm to stand not as a technology vendor, but as a trusted partner in India’s healthcare journey.

“A company that went beyond being a technology provider to become a partner in nation building,” Wada said.

For a firm once defined by film and cameras, the shift marks a transformation decades in the making, and one that is now accelerating in India.