He was born on December 13, 1954, in Delhi to Om Prakash Goel and Sneh Lata Goel. He has served in various capacities in the government, including as the Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Minister of Science and Technology, and Minister of Earth Sciences in the Narendra Modi-led government.

He is a qualified ENT surgeon. He completed his medical studies at Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. His medical background has significantly influenced his political career, especially in his roles related to public health.

He began his political journey with the BJP in the late 1980s. He first gained prominence in 1993 when he was elected as a member of the Delhi Legislative Assembly from the Krishna Nagar constituency. He has since been re-elected from the same constituency multiple times, showcasing his popularity and solid political base in Delhi.

In 2014, Dr. Harsh Vardhan was elected to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of India's Parliament, from the Chandni Chowk constituency in Delhi. Following this, he was appointed as the Minister of Health and Family Welfare in the central government. He went on to retain his Lok Sabha seat during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

One of the significant highlights of his political career was his tenure as the Health Minister of Delhi in the mid-1990s. During this period, he launched the Pulse Polio Programme, which was a pioneering initiative aimed at eradicating polio from India. The success of this program earned him national and international acclaim and is considered one of his significant contributions to public health in India.