As one of India’s most awarded healthcare specialist agencies, Medulla Communications has built a reputation for creating globally recognised work rooted in science, patient understanding, and cultural insight. By combining healthcare expertise with creative ambition, the agency has demonstrated that world-class healthcare communication can be built from India for audiences across the globe.

For Medulla Communications, specialisation has never been a limitation.

In fact, it has been the foundation of the agency’s growth and success.

Operating exclusively within healthcare has allowed Medulla to develop deep expertise in patient challenges, scientific communication, and healthcare marketing, creating opportunities to build distinctive work that stands apart within a highly specialised category.

According to Praful Akali, founder and managing director, Medulla Communications, one of the greatest advantages of being a healthcare specialist is the ability to create industry-leading work grounded in insights that transcend geographic boundaries. Patient challenges and scientific realities often share common threads across markets, enabling strategic thinking and creative ideas developed in India to travel effectively worldwide.

This approach has also enabled the agency to create global work with lean, senior teams while supporting the vast volume of content and collateral required by healthcare brands in a highly efficient manner.

While some may view healthcare as a niche category, Akali sees it differently.

He believes that building a global canvas from  India creates significant room for growth and opportunity. In his experience, specialisation has not presented a disadvantage, but rather a platform for expanding influence and impact across international markets.

That commitment to excellence has earned Medulla global recognition, including being named Healthcare Agency of the Year at Cannes Lions in 2016. For agencies hoping to follow a similar path, Akali believes success begins with a realistic understanding of the competitive landscape.

Akali said, “When you are aiming to win at Cannes Lions, one is competing with agencies that have scores of creative leaders working throughout the year across the world to create their best possible work. You have to be ready for intense hard work, filtering hundreds of ideas, building with craft and precision, and working relentlessly on the cases.”

However, he believes the formula for success has evolved. Today, particularly within healthcare, award-winning work must emerge from real client challenges rather than purely proactive ideas.

According to Akali, building breakthrough ideas on live briefs not only creates greater impact for clients but also unlocks the budgets and commitment required to achieve the level of craft and execution demanded by global award shows.

At the heart of Medulla’s philosophy is a strong sense of Indian identity. Akali believes many of the qualities that make healthcare communication effective globally are deeply embedded within Indian culture itself.

He expressed, “Healthcare advertising globally needs work rooted in emotion, authenticity and purpose, all of which are very innate to Indian culture.”

He also credits India’s education system for equipping talent with the scientific and technological capabilities required for modern healthcare communication. When combined with global processes, disciplined execution, and openness to local market insights, 
he believes this blend creates powerful and effective work.

One area where Medulla sees positive change is in its client relationships. Rather than identifying something he would like to change, Akali points to the growing willingness among healthcare clients to embrace ambitious ideas.

He believes the introduction of Cannes Lions Health and other healthcare-focused creative award platforms has helped encourage clients to back more innovative and impactful work. Equally important, he views client collaboration as essential to creating effective campaigns, particularly in an industry shaped by commercial realities and regulatory constraints.

Rather than treating those constraints as obstacles, Akali sees them as opportunities to discover creative solutions and unexpected breakthroughs.

As healthcare communication continues to evolve globally, Medulla remains focused on proving that specialised expertise, cultural authenticity, and creative ambition can coexist. By combining scientific rigour with emotionally resonant storytelling, the agency continues to demonstrate how healthcare advertising from India can influence audiences and industries around the world.

This article was part of a special focus on Indian independent creative companies circulated alongside Manifest's June issue, which can be bought here.

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