Riday Nakhate, MD & Co-Founder, Kan Innovations highlights that with technological advancements in various aspects such as patient diagnostics, virtual consultations, rehabilitation, and e-medicine distribution, hospital facilities can deliver a faster response to emergencies, thus improving overall patient care
India and the rest of the world have learned from 2020 that a country’s economic and social well-being depends on having a functioning healthcare system and a healthy population. The most severe challenge that India’s health sector confronted was the lack of infrastructure. A chronic shortage of hospital beds, scarcity of specialised faculty to treat serious diseases, and excessive out-of-pocket financial spending all contributed to an impossibly pressured national health care system. To address this issue, a robust infrastructure, effective execution, center-state contact, and collaboration between commercial and public institutions are required.
Despite flaws, India’s healthcare sector has a lot going for it on several fronts. The Government-led initiatives are encouraging healthcare professionals to use electronic medical records to gain insights from patient data to provide better care. Because of the availability of telecom bandwidth, medical expertise is now reaching underdeveloped rural areas through mobile-based telemedicine and teleconsulting programs. Technology will continue to revolutionise healthcare facilities as it has proven to be a crucial tool now. Whether it’s self-check-in kiosks, robots assisting surgeons or wireless devices, technology is here to stay.
Over the last year, India’s health regulatory regulations have evolved at a breakneck pace, following which the health budget was increased to 2,23,846 crore with 137 per cent for the year 2021-22. The Government of India has taken active measures by providing essential financing so that one can come under the Made in India category and be self-sufficient rather than relying on imports. One of the most significant changes in the Indian healthcare system is the use of technology to collect and make data more accessible and usable. The usage of the Aarogya Setu app for the vaccination drive is one such example of how technology can help the system at large.
With technological advancements in various aspects such as patient diagnostics, virtual consultations, rehabilitation, and e-medicine distribution, hospital facilities can deliver a faster response to emergencies, thus improving overall patient care.
The positive trends that emerged during the COVID scenario on various fronts are:
Artificial Intelligence (AI): The Health tech businesses are enabling care professionals to forecast, prevent, and cure diseases with greater accuracy by combining clever automation and algorithms. Smart sensors, natural language processing (NLP) technologies, and machine learning systems offer the ability to simplify hospital processes while shortening patient wait times.
Measuring and rehab tools: Equipments like plantar pressure platforms, force plates, and balance plates, gaming-based rehab assist doctors in measuring and observing many elements of a patient’s biomechanics. And with all of the resources available, continual advances are also being made, particularly when it comes to using machine learning, artificial intelligence, and remote monitoring technology; in future, India should invest more in the production of such medical devices to quit reliance on imports.
Big data learning: With the introduction of big data technology to the market, it is now possible to transform this data into knowledge; to be used to give better healthcare services to end users. The usage of advanced analytic techniques has an impact on nearly every aspect of healthcare, including the accuracy of insurance rates, the automation of administrative procedures, and the application of AI in diagnostics.
Wearable health monitoring system: These devices not only track health but also provide health tips to the users. These devices include Smartwatches, Blood Pressure Monitors, Wearable ECG Monitors, and Biosensors, which have acted as a boon for many users. Physicians have been able to improve their accuracy and get access to better records using these instruments.
Today, many Indian startups have developed improved measuring and diagnostic tools to assist hospitals and practitioners with data learning to increase efficiency, close gaps, and deliver better services. Kan Innovations, for instance, has designed, developed, and manufactured technologies for health and wellness to break the cycle of reliance. With research-backed Plantar Pressure systems and foot care solutions that assess your problem, identify a solution, and assist the patient in rehab of the lower limb. It offers a comprehensive solution that helps medical practitioners to adapt the evidence-based approach for better patient engagement and improved outcomes.
The National Digital Health Mission (NDHM), which has greatly helped the digital infrastructure, is encouraging corporations to be more vocal for local. Hence, technology can improve patient care while also lowering total expenses. With an ageing population, growing costs, and increased illness complexity, technology offers a feasible avenue for the healthcare business to achieve exponential development.