2nd Early Health Summit

India's Health System Needs Innovative Solutions and Reforms

Experts assembled together to contemplate the role of diagnosis and its impact in future healthcare

V Raja

Dr Ali Mehendi

Dr Sunitha Maheshwari

Dignitaries from all over the world assimilated together at Bangalore to discuss and contemplate the role and importance of early diagnosis in healthcare and how technology will be the biggest driver in shaping early healthcare delivery. Aptly titled, the second 'Early Health Summit' organised by GE Healthcare, on September 26, 2008 acted as an excellent platform to lay emphasis on the importance of early diagnosis and share views about how early diagnosis can re-shape the entire delivery process. The event witnessed participation from various domains of healthcare be it the government sector, private sector or economists, academicians or NGOs.

Starting off the summit, V Raja, President and CEO, GE Healthcare, South Asia, delivered the keynote address. He expressed his views on relevance of imaging in early diagnosis and how healthcare should be viewed upon as an investment because an economy of a country is driven by the health of its people. "The sooner, the better' — that's the foundation of early health. Early Health is focused on earlier diagnosis and more effective treatment of disease, so that people live longer and to the fullest. We believe that the focus should be on early diagnosis and prevention instead of late stage prevention. Because, by taking the initiative to understand the causes and progression of disease and how to catch it at its earliest possible stage, we believe, one day it could be avoided altogether," felt Raja. "The share of deaths from chronic disease is expected to increase from 40 per cent in 1990 to 67 per cent in 2020. Coping with these set of new diseases along with the pre-transition diseases calls for reforms in India's health system and innovative solutions," he added. The central theme of his talk was '21st Century Imaging and its relevance to Early Health, Healthcare is an Investment.'

After setting up the right tone of the event, the first speaker of the summit, Dr Ali Mehendi, Research Associate, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), engaged as well as educated the audience through his talk on 'Non-Communicable Disease and Public Health Policy in India.' He shed light over the fact that it's not only the urban population but even the rural masses who are suffering from chronic diseases and the problems of such population is largely un-addressed.

"After communicable diseases, Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) account for the second largest share of disease burden in India. However, available data suggests that the disease burden as a result of NCDs will, in the near future, increase dramatically, pose a serious public health hazard and hamper India's development prospects," he addressed. "India had 380 lakh cases of Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) in 2005 which could rise to 641 lakh by 2015. 270 lakh cases of Coronary Heart diseases (CHDs) in 2000 (150 lakh rural, 120 urban) can touch to 610 lakh by 2015 of which 26 lakh are likely to die by 2020. One of the highly affected sector which fuels the economy of the country is the services' sector which has been contributing more than 60 per cent to the GDP since the year 2000, and has shaped much of the country's transformation into an emerging economic power. The impact of NCDs in this sector, as could undermine India's growth story," averred Dr Mehendi. He suggested multi-pronged strategies to tackle the disease overburden which is present at such a large scale. "In China they even have a 'Health Vice-Minister for Prevention' states, who consider their programmes (for preventing chronic diseases) as a long-term investment in future. Unfortunately, the vision of prevention as investment is lacking among policy makers in India, who wish to see the country growing as rapidly as China. Presently, less than 0.5 per cent of total public health spending is on prevention, while in European countries, the comparable figure ranges from 10-20 per cent," he informed to an attentive audience.

The succeeding speaker of the event was Dr Sunitha Maheshwari, Paediatric Cardiologist & HOD, Narayana Hrudalaya, who incidentally is US returned and expressed her contentment over the fact that India has become as technologically advanced as the developed world. The central theme of her lecture was 'Clinical Imaging Enabling Early Health Paradigm Shift - Cardiac Diseases.' "Being a peadiatric cardiologist is quite a challenge in India. In India, 200,000 children per year are born with a heart disease which is a higher average than the West. As for cardiology in children, most of them can be diagnosed at a very early stage. But due to lack of awareness, so many children are born with heart ailments. While we are technologically as advanced as the West today but India has to work on manpower as technical expertise is required to work on those machines. At Narayana Hruduyalaya we are trying to train as many people as possible to tackle this issue," she informed. The next session was held by Jean Luc Vanderheyden, Molecular Imaging Leader, GE Healthcare who spoke on 'The Impact of Molecular Imaging in the Future of Care.' He presented technologies that can usher in early health in the near future. He said, "Molecular Imaging is one of the disruptive technologies that will change the way care is going to be delivered. It is a powerful technique that takes advantages of advances in biology, chemistry and technology as well as discoveries in gene and protein sciences."

This was followed by an intensive panel discussion on 'Driving Healthcare Access to all through PPP' which focused on the importance of Public Private Partnership (PPP) model and how it would be a significant driver in the healthcare growth story. A post lunch session under the central theme of 'Digitisation Linking Imaging and all Health Information' included speakers like Clarence Wu, Vice President & GM Manager, IT Solutions, GE Healthcare Asia Pacific and Dr HKV Narayan, Medical Superintendent, Tata Memorial Hospital. Dr Narayan highlighted the significance of IT in his hospital and how it improved the clinical and administrative outcomes phenomenally. "We went in for digitisation eleven years ago and at that time there were no 'fancy' modules avaialbe as it is today. Hence, we ourselves went in for an in-house module. Digitisation of healthcare information is a structured method of compiling health related information. Hence, it is an art not science. For us, there was a need to establish a platform and protocol for transmitting and sharing information to avoid repeat investigations and reduce patient inconvenience and costs. Healthcare industry has lagged behind other sectors in adopting digitisation. The reasons are many. Firstly, RoI is over a long period. There is also a reluctance on part of stakeholders and doctors don't readily take to IT, not only here but even in the West. It's a worldwide phenomena," highlighted Dr Narayan.

GE Healthcare, the organisers of the event also announced significant PPPs they have undergone in an attempt to reach rural healthcare. GE has partnered with Grameen Health to help address health needs of people Below Poverty Line (BPL). It has also partnered with Vivus wherein it has provided a mobile cardiac treatment facility. Overall, it was an educating as well an enlightening event whereby leading experts from fields of cardiology, neo-natal care, oncology, government officials, research institutions and scientists exchanged views and highlighted areas that need immediate attention.

EH News Bureau