Today, India is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. The country has made significant strides in health care innovations, contributing to the transformation of the global healthcare roadmap. In the last few decades, the country has taken confident strides in improving health care, yielding noteworthy results such as a reduction in infant and maternal mortality rates and an increase in rates of vaccination. Two key drivers of this change are the numerous impactful health care initiatives undertaken by the government and the growing entrepreneurial spirit of the private health care sector. Following this, India has come a long way in its fight against infectious diseases and is now embarking on a journey to explore new possibilities for tackling non-communicable diseases.
Adayu Mindfulness is a dedicated vertical for comprehensive mental health care. (Photo:Fortis Healthcare)
Ten years ago, who would have imagined that you could consult a doctor or have your vital signs monitored by a machine without leaving home? However, this is a reality today, with technology and collaboration playing a major role in making healthcare more accessible to patients across geographies. In a country as diverse as India, with a mounting burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), becoming a healthier nation has never been as important.
Every patient’s journey, from screening and diagnosis to treatment, is different. An integrated health care system that connects primary care providers, specialists, hospitals, and diagnostic centres is vital to provide a seamless and sustainable care continuum. Technology and innovation will form the core of this system, providing intelligent end-to-end solutions.
The climate crisis is a global concern, and the question is how health care systems can provide quality care via sustainable health care practices. Technology plays a central role in this respect by optimising resource management, reducing unnecessary or duplicate steps in the patient journey, and effectively integrating renewable sources of energy, thereby reducing the carbon footprint and accumulation of waste. The solutions which can be set up in low resource settings, require minimum maintenance, can operate under compact spaces, provide high quality results and can be replicated easily for enhanced accessibility in other areas as well will lead sustainable health care practices.
Sustainable health care also involves practices that reduce the burden on healthcare systems through preventive care and enhancing health literacy to detect and treat diseases early, reducing the need for resource-intensive care. For example, AI-based tools can create predictive models that can identify areas of concern before noticeable symptoms appear, thereby facilitating early intervention. These intelligent systems help prepare for an increasingly unpredictable future by offering personalised treatment and support for non-communicable diseases.
Moreover, the integration of AI in health care transforms patient care by enabling timely and precise diagnoses for a large patient population. It also empowers doctors to make informed, data-driven decisions, providing valuable insights that support personalised treatment plans tailored to each patient's unique needs.
The health of any nation also depends on how patient-centric the health care system is. Over time, patient expectations have evolved. In response, health care systems have shifted to value-based and holistic patient-centric models. These patient-centric pathways enhance satisfaction, build trust, and optimise operations, creating an approach that benefits everyone involved. In this context, access to better diagnostic and imaging solutions will aid better treatment options for the patients and reduced burden on health care providers. In a country with rising ailing population and growth in non-communicable diseases, technologies that can facilitate better experience for patients and health care providers will be the pillar of evolving healthcare ecosystem.
The final component of a healthier nation is the implementation of a collaborative health care model. This could be possible with effective public-private partnerships (PPPs) that use resources effectively, share knowledge, and leverage best practices. The private sector has been an early adopter of evolving health care technologies. It has the potential to leverage innovation, infrastructure, and specialised expertise, while the public sector can broaden outreach, ensure equitable distribution of resources, and focus on underserved population groups. This collaboration can improve infrastructure and bring cutting-edge technology into the mainstream to improve access and equity. Fostering collaboration between academic institutions and industry partners can contribute towards bridging the skill gap in the industry. It can improve talent development by leveraging the resources of the private sector and providing relevant industry-specific training, resulting in a pipeline of talent that is employable and skilled.
Collaboration is also important in creating an ecosystem conducive to manufacturing high quality medical equipment locally. Take radiation therapy machines, for example. India faces a shortage of more than 1,000 machines, impacting cancer care. Collaboration between the private and public sectors can bridge such gaps by building capacity and accelerating research. Governments can ease regulations, provide incentives, and create policies, while private companies can provide access to local and international markets and facilitate the exchange of knowledge, creating an atmosphere that encourages the exchange of ideas and healthy competition.
Making India a healthy nation needs a four-pronged approach: collaboration, technological innovation, driving sustainable health care practices, and the empowerment of health care providers and patients. This may sound challenging, but with the collective will and efforts of all stakeholders, it can become a reality. By embracing technology, fostering partnerships, and placing patients at the centre of care, the country can build a health care system that can meet the needs of today and anticipate the requirements of tomorrow.
This article is authored by Hariharan Subramanian, managing director, Siemens Healthcare Private Limited.
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