Mohit Sood, Regional Managing Principal, ZS India emphasises that the recent COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the vulnerabilities of the Indian healthcare system, leading to profound implications on other socio-economics aspects of the economy. There is an urgency to build resilient ecosystem that can effectively manage the future healthcare needs and put adequate focus on patient care
Pandemic had shaken all the industries worldwide, healthcare frontiers being the most impacted given the sector’s functional interdependency on people, technology and support system. Learning from the vulnerabilities and opportunities, the focus needs to shift from just traditional healthcare [diagnose and treatment] to patientcare [awareness and prevention].
The e-health market size is estimated to reach US$ 10.6 billion by 2025. Driven by the rising needs of health awareness, technology accessibility, as a country with skilled professionals, India is becoming a hub for medical attention supported by its cost-competitive advantage. GoI has taken several initiatives to unlock the value such as boosting PPP, national AYUSH Mission and Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission for digitalisation of healthcare and Vision 2035 with NITI Aayog which is focused on strengthening the health systems in India,
The recent COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the vulnerabilities of the Indian healthcare system, leading to profound implications on other socio-economics aspects of the economy. There is an urgency to build resilient ecosystem that can effectively manage the future healthcare needs and put adequate focus on patient care. We should utilise the mitigating circumstances as an opportunity to understand key limitations to repurpose and strengthen the health system. We take a look at 2022 and the lessons learnt to aid public health systems in the country.
Focus on preventive care: Post-pandemic there has been a rise in general health awareness among people highlighting that the focus needs to shift from curative to preventive healthcare. Early and timely diagnostics through access to medical records using digital health tech would bring emphasis on addressing the medical needs of a patient before it becomes life-threatening.
Bridge the talent gap: There are rapid headwinds in acquiring the right talent for meeting the demand of skilled healthcare professionals, at the same time, upskilling the existing workforce is equally crucial. In the coming times, technology will fuel the health cycle for any individual through AI and digital interventions at all the stages starting from awareness, diagnosis to treatment and The HCPs across public and private provider facilities need to be trained to a certain benchmark of technology adaptation to provide quality healthcare support even in rural areas.
Increase fund allocation to healthcare: India spends only 2.1 per cent of GDP (2021-22), however it is still significantly low as compared to other developing nations like China, Brazil that spends between 5-6 per cent of its GDP on healthcare. Collective and collaborative action must be taken to reduce gaps in care access and affordability by significantly increasing the funding to support the goals of providing universal financial protection from the high costs of healthcare and implementing purchasing arrangements that promote high quality and integrated health
Accelerate healthcare infrastructure development: Adoption of digital health leading to refinements in health care delivery and highlighting its huge potential to address the urban-rural divide for accessibility of quality The potential of digitalisation can be leveraged to transform the healthcare ecosystem for all through technology, data and analytical innovations that make healthcare affordable and accessible for Indian and for the world. There are new opportunities amidst the digital adoption in areas like tele-medicine, tele-consultation, AI-based diagnostics, remote health management, robotic surgeries etc that can prove helpful in changing the infrastructure of healthcare as we have known for years and therefore change lives.
Build a resilient suply chain: The industry witnessed challenges of supply-chain during the pandemic which pushes the need to become self-reliant deploying advanced tracking technologies, and diversifying from a geographic perspective. The gaps were visible when people had to face shortage of supplies in hospitals and pharmcies during the three waves. This was a lesson to learn about reducing dependecies on material procurement from China and other countries and build a cost-effective, quality and delivery mechanism for future
Bolster the innovation ecosystem: Strengthen the research and development capabilities, encourage young minds and talent to innovate for better health outcomes and delivery. The two indigenious vaccines to counter covid developed in India have set out an example of our expertise and with the right kind of central support, regulatations and enablement we can emerge as the R&D centre for developing medical solutions for life-threatening
The holistic wellbeing of patients is at the core of whole digital transformation for the healthcare ecosystem and with tangible actions, as a nation we can build better public health equity.
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