India Healthcare Forum

'Technology Is a Requirement & Not Just an Enabler for Patient Care'

The theme of the conference was 'Heart Matters-From Intervention to Prevention'

Dr Devi Shetty explaining the need for insurance models

Dr Paul Kielstra and Dr Pervez Ahmed addressing the audience

Over past 40 years, prevalence of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) in urban India has increased six to eight times, to about 10 per cent among persons 35 to 64 years of age, said Dr Naresh Trehan, Chairman, Medanta and Senior Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeon, Indraprasta Apollo Hospitals. He was speaking on 'Global Burden of Cardiovascular Disease With India in Focus-Can We Contain The Epidemic?' at India Healthcare forum, which was held on August 13th in New Delhi. The theme of the conference was 'Heart Matters-From Intervention to Prevention'. Looking at the high rate of cardiovascular diseases in the country, it was an apt theme chosen.

He added that the proportion of all deaths due to cardio vascular diseases in developing countries is expected to increase from 25 per cent in 1990 to greater than 40 per cent in 2020." He further added, "At national and international level, there is a need of political will, sweeping effects with far reaching consequences. At the society level, there is a need for awareness, preventive clinics and promoting healthy food and environment. At individual level, we need healthy living practices."

Speaking on 'Technology for Healthcare', Dr Claus W Biermann, Vice President - Business Development Healthcare, Philips International BV, said, "Hospitals and cardiac care providers react to improve 'door to balloon times' and ensure better patient outcomes." He stressed that the technology will be at every step to provide effective healthcare. While citing the example of an initiative covering urban, semi urban and rural settings, he mentioned about the partnership of EMRI with 30 MRx Defibrillators in ALS Ambulance for the state of Andhra Pradesh. Today, this partnership has extended to nine states where more than 450 MRx Devices are deployed. He added, "This is the most effective in the Indian environment where there is a need to bridge the gap between the location of high-end care providers and the affected public."

Dr Neena Pahuja, CIO, Max Healthcare spoke on 'Information Technology as an aid for Quality and Affordable Healthcare.' While talking about the changing trend of IT and patient care, she said, "Technology is becoming a requirement and not just an enabler for patient care." She added that with 3G technology, soon healthcare will be like bank ATM where the doctors and patients will interact using 3G technology on the mobile phone.

Dr S Padmavati, President, All India Heart Foundation and Director - National Heart Institute spoke on 'Heart Disease and Strokes Issues Facing Women Differences between the sexes.' Explaining the prevalence of heart diseases in women, she said, "In 2005, roughly half of the 17.2 million victims of heart disease and stroke - the world's biggest killer - were women. Heart disease and stroke kills more women each year than cancer, tuberculosis, HIV / AIDS and malaria combined."

Explaining the difference in symptoms, she said, "Women experience coronary heart disease differently from men. Frequent symptoms are chest or stomach pains, nausea, breathlessness and unexplained tiredness. They get the disease 10 years later than men." Women are more likely than men to be under diagnosed and under treated. She added, "Stroke accounts for a higher proportion of deaths among women than men (11 per cent versus 8.4 per cent). Among women, nearly three million of deaths by stroke occur each year." She concluded that increase of awareness is the key to prevention. This can be done only by patient education of the masses especially women where the illiteracy rate is higher.

One of the most interesting sessions was on insurance and providing access to healthcare. The panelists for this session were Dr Somli Nagpal, Special Officer- Health Insurance, IRDA; Dr Devi Shetty, Chairman and Senior Consultant Cardiac Surgeon, Naryana Hrudayalaya Institute of Cardiac Science and Dr SB Mathur, Secretary General, Life Insurance Council. It was concluded that the healthcare insurance in India needs greater penetration. The providers have to invest in providing a greater reach. Dr Shetty said that in rural India if one asks money directly (from general public) for the insurance, the answer will be no. So, there have to be ways devised to deduct money every month. This can be taken from their monthly bills (like electricity, water etc). The conference ended with a session on 'Healthcare vision beyond Twenty20'. The panelists were Shivinder Singh, MD, Fortis Healthcare Limited; Dr Pervez Ahmed, MD and CEO, Max Healthcare and Dr NK Jairam, Chairman and MD, Columbia Asia. In the end, the audience was provoked to think over the fact that with increasing technology, the human touch to the treatment will be lost.

EH News Bureau