New Delhi, June 13 -- Last year, 29-year-old Rhea Gupta booked a comprehensive preventive health package after a reminder pinged on her phone. The results flagged a borderline thyroid value. Within weeks, she repeated the tests, consulted specialists, and spiralled into worry-only to be told later that the variation was temporary and clinically insignificant.

Preventive blood tests, once occasional, are now packaged and promoted as an annual necessity. But does a healthy adult really need them?

Doctors say not quite. Across age groups, the consensus is clear: testing should be guided by risk factors, not routine. Blanket annual testing, especially in low-risk individuals, often adds cost and anxiety without improving outcomes. Instead, ...