Digitization is an idea whose time has come to close the healthcare access gap.
Symptoms, denial of symptoms, home cures, delayed diagnosis, hospital-based therapy, sporadic post-treatment care, and follow-up visits only when symptoms reoccur or the illness worsens are common in a person's health journey.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced us to rethink healthcare delivery and adopt digital transformation. Patients and doctors prefer digital platforms over in-person sessions.
Will digital healthcare be a fad or the norm?
First, consumer behaviours have evolved. People who used Amazon or Flipkart for internet shopping are now using their devices for medical services.
India conducts 200,000 to 300,000 telemedicine consultations daily. Millions of calls come from Delhi, Mumbai, and over 2,000 rural areas. 80% are new users.
Increasing consumer awareness of e-health as a factor multiplier for an improved living contributes to this vitality. Implications for our healthcare system are clear.
Advanced e-health technologies are helping to relieve India's NCD epidemic and improve patient care.
Second, compare Indian and Western medical care. Indians pay $75 per person compared to $12,000 for Americans. India has only one government doctor for every 10,189 people, well below the WHO's 1:1000 recommendation. India lacks 600,000 doctors. We need twice as many physicians and nurses.
The dedication of our Hospital personnel: Hush Naidoo Jade Photography
Technology is the only way to enhance India's health at a reasonable cost. Removing impediments to expensive infrastructure might level the playing field with wealthier countries' healthcare systems.
Digitization is an idea whose time has come to close the healthcare access gap. Improving access to high-quality medical care should be a priority. In his speech honouring India's independence on August 15, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced the ambitious National Digital Health Mission, now called Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). The effort aims to build an ‘open digital health environment (ODE),’ or a standardised digital platform for healthcare innovation.
The Mission's National Health Stack has over 243 million health accounts and IDs. Reorganizing people, money, knowledge, and strategy will create a new health paradigm.
These three elements affect digital healthcare in India.
Online participation is "required" Companies that don't produce a genuine product will lose clients, consumers, and business. If a patient's mobility improves, their care should move to community venues. This is medical innovation. Data supports this notion, which isn't surprising. The Indian home healthcare market might reach $30 billion by 2030, up from $7.4 billion in 2021.
Talented individuals are hard to find and keep, and firms compete for them. When resources are few, players must automate low-value tasks and adapt to the future of work to succeed. The NCDC is utilising AI and other approaches to develop a database of 33 diseases, some of which could become epidemics, and to estimate lung damage caused by the Delta version of Sars-Cov2.
Lastly, and most importantly, digital health's competitive edge will be driven by the capacity to synchronise everything for integrated experiences and higher health outcomes.
To remain relevant in India's effort to achieve health fairness, healthcare enterprises must invest money and leadership in technology and big data.