MEDLAWCON 2026 At Gujarat National Law University
LIVELAW NEWS NETWORK
16 Feb 2026 9:23 AM IST
The 3rd edition of the National Conference on Medical Law, Policy, and Ethics (MEDLAWCON 2026) was successfully conducted on 7th and 8th February 2026 at Gujarat National Law University (GNLU). The two-day event, themed “Technology-Driven Healthcare: Governance, Law and Ethics,” brought together academics, legal scholars, medical professionals, and policy experts to examine the evolution of medicine in the digital landscape.
The inaugural session of MEDLAWCON 2026, held on 7th February 2026, was graced by the Chief Guest, former Supreme Court Justice Amreshwar Pratap Sahi, along with the Guests of Honour Dr. Alexandar Thomas, Chairperson of the Public Health Foundation of India, and Dr. Anil Nayak, National President of the Indian Medical Association. Prior to the formal inauguration, a special session on “Telemedicine, Virtual Care and the Changing Doctor-Patient Relationship” was conducted, during which the Telemedicine Practice Guidelines of 2020 were examined in depth.
The event formally commenced with the traditional lighting of the lamp, followed by the felicitation of the guests. The Welcome Address was delivered by the Vice Chancellor of Gujarat National Law University, Prof. (Dr.) Shanthakumar, who noted, “The centre was founded with a single vision—to move beyond the reactive nature of litigation and toward a proactive framework of partnership.” He emphasized that technology-driven healthcare is now a defining reality and cautioned that artificial intelligence should not replace human judgment or foster discrimination, but must instead enhance equity. The Guests of Honour also addressed the participants.
Justice Sahi delivered a special address, observing that “Science is so majestic, so robust that it conquers the mind of a person,” while urging students to cultivate spirituality and reflecting on parallels between faith in the judicial system and the medical system. The inaugural session concluded with a vote of thanks by the Registrar, Dr. Nitin Malik.
Panel discussions featuring medico-legal experts covered topics such as ethical considerations of genomics and gene-editing technologies, digital health data governance, and xenotransplantation. During the session on xenotransplantation, Dr. Khusboo Saxena remarked, “For me, the question is not really 'Is xenotransplantation the answer?' I think the question is: 'Is India really ready for it?'”
Experts including Prof. (Dr.) O.V. Nandimath, Vice-Chancellor of the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences; Dr. Anunaya Jain, Global Technical Director at Jhpiego; and Dr. Milind Antani, Head at Nishith Desai & Associates, conducted expert sessions.
A roundtable on digital health consent explored the complexities of data privacy in a digital-first ecosystem and examined critical issues involving surgeons, hospitals, and legal professionals. Among the key questions discussed was: “Given the blurred lines of responsibility, what should be the respective roles of regulators, professional medical bodies, and platform accreditors in operationalizing and monitoring this new standard for digital informed consent?”
The conference concluded on 8th February with the formal inauguration of the 2026 batch of the PG Diploma in Medical Law, Policy and Ethics. By fostering interdisciplinary dialogue, MEDLAWCON 2026 has advanced discussions on developing ethical frameworks to ensure that healthcare innovation remains safe, transparent, and patient-centric.