Tata Trusts is working to build a network of 40 to 50 not-for-profit general hospitals where revenue from paying patients will help subsidise treatment for those who cannot afford care, Chairman Noel Tata said.
Mumbai, October 17 — Tata Trusts is working towards creating a network of 40 to 50 not-for-profit general hospitals across India, with a model under which paying patients would help finance treatment for economically weaker patients.
Chairman Noel Tata, writing in the Trusts’ Annual Report for 2025-26, said the organisation wants to build long-lasting public institutions and measure its performance by the impact created rather than only by the money spent.
He said philanthropy should move beyond simply counting the number of beneficiaries or the amount of funds deployed and instead focus on whether interventions create meaningful and lasting change.
Tata Trusts has outlined a five-year healthcare strategy for 2026-2031, under which it aims to reach around 25 lakh people across nearly 75 blocks and strengthen more than 100 public health facilities.
The Trusts also plans to continue supporting families facing medical emergencies and expand its distributed cancer-care model, which seeks to bring treatment closer to patients rather than concentrating services only in major cities.
During FY26, Tata Trusts’ cancer-care programmes recorded 1,06,626 outpatient consultations, 24,874 chemotherapy cycles and 2,879 surgeries.
Noel Tata also highlighted the need to build more high-quality institutions in India so that talented young people do not have to go abroad solely because similar opportunities are unavailable domestically.
He said Tata Trusts has historically played a role in incubating institutions of national importance and would continue to do so, potentially in partnership with other philanthropic organisations.
Among the examples he cited were the Indian Institute of Science, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and Tata Memorial Hospital.
Tata Trusts collectively owns around 66% of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group’s major businesses.
Noel Tata said philanthropy in India is also changing as a new generation of entrepreneurs brings greater ambition to social causes, requiring established institutions to raise standards of effectiveness, transparency and accountability.
The proposed hospital network forms a key part of this approach, combining healthcare access with a financially sustainable not-for-profit model.
