Dr Lal PathLabs, one of India’s leading diagnostic chains, has launched Sovaaka, a new preventive healthcare and wellness initiative. The first Sovaaka (which means wellness in Sanskrit) centre will open in Gurugram on January 11, Dr Arvind Lal, Executive Chairman, Dr Lal PathLabs, said.

The new business division is positioned as a science-first, diagnostics-led wellness model that integrates multiple disciplines under one roof to provide a comprehensive health assessment.

India’s healthcare challenge today is not a lack of treatment, but a lack of timely awareness and early intervention, Dr Lal said, adding that prevention, grounded in medical science and diagnostic evidence, will be the most powerful lever to improve health outcomes in the years ahead.

The packages offered by the new division will include doctor-curated programmes, customised by age, gender, lifestyle and risk profile. Each test will be followed by personalised diet and lifestyle guidance based on actual diagnostic findings.

Worldwide, early detection programmes focus on identifying abnormal biomarkers, imaging changes or physiological indicators before disease becomes symptomatic. Risk prediction integrates multiple inputs—pathology, imaging, genetics, body composition, age and lifestyle indicators—to assess who may develop disease and when. Catching disease at this stage allows lifestyle modification, medical supervision, targeted interventions and a reduced long-term healthcare burden.

According to Shankha Banerjee, Chief Executive Officer, Dr Lal PathLabs, the company is not in a hurry to increase the number of centres. The learnings from the greenfield Gurugram centre will determine the pace of expansion. The baseline packages will begin at ₹10,000–₹12,000 and can go as high as ₹50,000 or more for advanced, need-based packages that may follow, Banerjee said.

While the company will create awareness about its wellness offering among existing customers of its diagnostic chain, it will also seek to add new customers—both individual and corporate—to help individuals understand what their data means and what actions can meaningfully change outcomes.

Dr Lal said there will be no unnecessary testing, and customers will undergo an assessment even before tests are conducted to determine which tests are required for each individual.

From a system perspective, Sovaaka represents a shift from episodic diagnostics to longitudinal preventive engagement, a precision-led approach to wellness and a model focused on outcomes rather than aggressive expansion, the company said in a statement.