Digital Tools Provide a Hugely Powerful Mechanism in Engaging Patients to Improve their Health
New Delhi:The global impact of COVID-19 has overwhelmed large sections of the world’s healthcare infrastructure, and the ongoing threat it presents has been the most demanding on our public-health systems. The need to provide healthcare which is accessible and affordable, now more than ever, becomes a necessity. Asia Health 2020, held between the 18-20 November, provides the platform for all the stakeholders within the industry to converge creating a conducive and holistic environment to ensure the welfare of our nation’s population as well as position India as a leader in Healthcare Delivery in the Asia region.
Addressing the session on how digital is shaping healthcare, Dr Vipul Aggarwal Deputy CEO NHA said digital health is as important as physical infrastructure. There is a need for digital health to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, deliver high quality care and to develop an agile response to pandemics. Other reasons being system operating in cliques, dependence on legacy systems and lack of uniformity and standardisation.
Ms Shobana Kamineni Past President CII & Executive Vice Chairperson Apollo Hospitals stated that technology would shift healthcare from doctors to patients amd medicine will slowly start getting personalised. She further added that hospitals are going to change as the environment around hospitals will become more technology enabled. Dr Ali Parsa Founder Babylon health, UK expressed that to truly make healthcare affordable there is a need to automate as many processes as possible and increase predictability and prevention of diseases. What Covid has taught the entire world is to focus on prevention.
Mr Mukesh Bansal CEO and Founder Cure Fit said that one big trend that will be there in the coming years is the prevention and curation of diseases. Lifestyle choices are going to make a difference. Mr Axel Baur Senior Partner Mckinsey, Hong Kong specified 3 areas that digital health should work upon are chronic disease management, accelerate the development of market places and create a health e -wallet
While discussing the need for innovation and the future of healthcare, the mindset for innovation stems from curiosity stated Mr Sonam Wangchuk, Founding-Director, Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh Curiosity is a fundamental state of mind one needs to be a problem solver and innovator. Innovating mindsets start from curiosity, empathy and initiatives. This lead to action, experience, confidence and success. This is a similar pattern observed in education, technology and healthcare sector
Moderating the session on the role of digital technology in achieving universal health coverage, Mr Krishnan Ramachandran, Chairman, CII Taskforce on Health Insurance & CEO and Managing Director, Max Bupa Health Insurance Ltd. Stated access to health in India is viewed as a right and not a privilege. However, 50-60 million Indians fall into poverty due to their inability to finance health as India is characterized with some of the highest out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure.
India is spending significantly less towards its public health system as compared to middle income countries who are spending 5-6% of their GDP. To be able to define the coverage is one of the key issues that need to be dealt with expressed Mr Roberto Leonardi, Regional CEO, Generali Asia, Hong Kong
Digital tools provide a hugely powerful mechanism in engaging patients to improve their health and managing high prevalent chronic conditions expressed Dr Jonathon Broomberg, Global Head – Health Insurance, Discovery Group, South Africa. There is a huge range of interventions that digital makes available. The strategy for UHC is gradual expansion of the national system, over time the depth of the cover should be expanded by the public system, carefully coordinated with a well- regulated private health insurance system.
There are three barriers to UHC; Awareness of what you need, access to healthcare and affordability. India is making progress on the affordability part through the PMJAY. It is scaling up, and bringing 500 million people into the base of the pyramid. For awareness and access, technology can help leap frog from a linear to an exponential progress stated Dr Ajay Bakshi, Volunteer, iSPIRT – (Bharat Stack) and Co- Founder and CEO, BuddhiMed Technologies.
CII Asia Health 2020 will also see Experts from USA, UK, Singapore, Israel, Russia, Bhutan, Maldives, Angola, and many other countries coming together to deliberate on thought leadership and discuss on Health, Technology, Ayurveda and how these systems can ensure healthcare delivery across Asia through India. Imminent Dignitaries, national speakers and international speakers will be addressing knowledge sessions on a wide range of issues that cuts across the healthcare spectrum looking to develop a cohesive industry engagement with core cross sectoral policy dialogues and strategic exchanges. CII is committed to the vision of putting India back on the map, with the Indian healthcare leading the way.