Wonder how healthcare will transform from now? Here’s a snapshot!

By Shardul Nautiyal

From tele-surgery to creating health equity through data, there’s a lot in the offing.

FE Healthcare Summit

While the world is watching out for changes in the post-Covid world, Indian healthcare system is already geared up to move on, taking lessons from the past. Changes are required not just at the operational and infrastructural levels but also at policy level. To add more perspective to the thought, The Financial Express is organising the FE Healthcare Summit. This three-day extravaganza is scheduled to happen from 18 to 20 August, 2021. The main focus of the event will be discussions on converging technology with healthcare for Post-Covid preparedness.

This conclave will witness technology and industry stakeholders coming together to pave the way for a Post-Covid Advanced Healthcare System, while keeping in mind the best utilisation of current infrastructure.

First Theme: Beyond Frugal Healing- The Access With Quality Imperative

Topic 1 – Reimagining the Indian Healthcare System

The first day of FE Healthcare Summit focuses on the theme “Beyond Frugal Healing- The Access With Quality Imperative”. One of the first subjects of the talk on the first day is on “Reimagining the Indian Healthcare System”. Robotics has today provided the option of a distant healthcare system- Telemedicine. Telemedicine through video conferencing, smartphones, wireless devices and wearables are delivering remote clinical services to patients. It is ‘anywhere and anytime’ service, providing primary consultation, remote monitoring and initial diagnosis to people. Doctors can even perform tele-surgery with the help of robots. Both of these innovations facilitate patients to get treatment without visiting larger hospitals and thereby reducing the medication cost while avoiding waiting list.

Topic 2 – Creating Health Equity through Data

The second discussion topic is based on “Creating Health Equity through Data”. Collecting data through Artificial Intelligence (AI) has facilitated healthcare professionals with enhanced access to medical records which makes the diagnosis and prognosis easy. Further, proper management and analysis of these data can open new avenues for modern healthcare. The subject has become so relevant today that the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system has emerged as a potential solution for improving quality and eliminating any possible medication error.

Topic 3 – India’s Massive COVID-19 Vaccine Program: The Accessibility Strategy

Third talk is on India’s Massive COVID-19 Vaccine Program: The Accessibility Strategy is an important subject of discussion as Union Health Ministry and other stakeholders have rolled out a series of initiatives on implementing it by putting in place a robust online system through CoWIN App due to which India’s COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage has crossed landmark milestone of 36 Crore.

The “COVID-19 Vaccine Communication Strategy” is being published by Ministry of Health and Welfare to disseminate timely, accurate and transparent information to generate awareness and alleviate apprehensions and fears regarding COVID-19 vaccines in community.

Topic 4 – Creating patient-centric products and solutions

Fourth talk on “Creating patient-centric products and solutions” is a very relevant subject. Today, wearable devices have emerged as a great robotic solution to ailments. AI-based wearable devices such as smart watches and sensor monitors provide deeper insight into the health of an individual regularly. They record heartbeat, blood pressure and glucose level etc. to give real-time alerts. After collecting data, AI encrypts and shares them with a doctor who recommends medicine based on the information.

While a normal diagnosis takes time, those done with the help of robots produce results within a fraction of time. The AI-enabled system scans thousands of cases while establishing a correlation between variables. It detects patterns and provides a detailed analysis of the ailment to healthcare professionals, which help start proper treatment instantly, thereby increasing the possibility of recovery.

Topic 5 – Health tech and the need for evolution

Fifth subject is on “Health tech and the need for evolution”. Health Tech industry is constantly endeavoring to indigenize technologies and products for the medical fraternity by manufacturing innovative precision – based medical devices in India.

Around 85% of medical devices in India are imported. The Central government has issued guidelines for Rs. 400 crore production linked incentive (PLI) scheme for developing four medical device parks. There is a need for export facilitation support and preference to domestic purchase of medical devices to boost self-reliant India.

This is very much relevant as regulations and standards on medical devices in India is also on an evolving trend with the notification of new Medical Device Rules, 2017.

Besides this, the Indian medical device industry is also upbeat about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘vocal for local’ mandate which would lead India becoming 85% net exporter in the next two decades, a gradual shift from relying on imported products.

Topic 6 – Health Tech Success Story (Start-up Talk)

Sixth subject of the talk is “Health Tech Success Story (Start-up Talk)”. A case in point is Delhi-based Health Tech Start-up Health Arx Technologies Pvt Ltd which has developed and launched an artificial intelligence (AI) powered smart diabetes management system through a mobile app named BeatO to address the vulnerable population of COVID-19 patients having diabetes with uncontrolled sugar levels.

Uncontrolled diabetes has been sighted to result in 30% mortality among COVID-19 positive patients. Management of diabetes and its complications is a huge challenge due to lack of general awareness about diabetes and scarcity of healthcare personnel and monitoring equipment including simple HbA1c tests especially in smaller towns and villages.