By Suresh Pattathil
Epidemics facilitated new practices that have transformed Health care As we know today. While making healthcare accessible to a larger section of the community, it also highlighted the need to further enhance patient-centric facilities for better health outcomes.
While some have become comfortable accessing healthcare services online, many continue to go to great lengths to avail basic facilities. Current statistics suggest that around 800 million people still have little or no access Health services in the developing world. So this is a big challenge Indiaof a diverse demographic with a high burden of chronic disease that has a significant economic impact. As we move forward, the healthcare industry needs to integrate innovation and technology to better understand patient needs. Responsible innovation can range from creating something as simple as universal health coverage medical care Accessible to all.
Reforming healthcare to become patient-centric
Despite advances in health and medicine, poor outcomes arising from delayed diagnosis of disease are all too common in India. Unmet medical needs may result from financial insecurity, socio-economic disparity or unequal treatment for different categories of patients. In our country, where insurance coverage is still in its infancy, ensuring universal health coverage can be a way to combat inequality. Although covered by certain populations public health Schemes like Ayushman Bharat– Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (ABPM-JAY) and central government health schemes, the middle class is bearing the brunt of the financial impact. This is due to rising healthcare costs and an aging population. The recent initiatives of the government to address this middle income segment of the population through the expansion of Ayushman Bharat – PMJAY scheme are very welcome.
The elimination of this current Patient care Challenges are essential to match the global health curriculum. India needs an additional 3 million beds, nearly 4 million healthcare professionals (HCPs) and extensive investments across the length and breadth of the country to meet its growing healthcare needs. Although stakeholders and systems are beginning to address some of these needs through awareness campaigns and preventive screening, there is a dire need for resources and related services. In the context of poor resource availability, incorporating out-of-the-box solutions to move patients from post-symptomatic treatment to pre-symptomatic screening is the need of the hour. Along with traditional channels, social media campaigns can play an important role in encouraging people to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Other incentives such as income tax breaks or financial incentives that support regular screening programs can also be introduced.
Innovation to reduce healthcare burden
from epidemics, Telehealth And Digital Health have come forward. If properly leveraged, they can play an important role in reducing patient burden, addressing human capital issues and addressing any gaps in the system or global health challenges, particularly managing chronic disease.
Digital transformation in healthcare can also play an important role in disease surveillance and make it more proactive. Collecting and analyzing real-time patient data and integrating it with a centralized database can identify interventions related to unmet basic needs, efficiently map disease prognosis and reduce overall healthcare costs for the population. Using advanced diagnostics can also reduce the long-term burden of diseases. Modernizing medicine can thus streamline clinical processes, optimize approaches and help map future trends.
Also, in this era of personalized medicine, India can envision a future in the global healthcare industry by ensuring collaboration between academia and pharma companies to foster cutting-edge innovation.
Innovation should be done responsibly
Technology and innovation can help us uncover potential disease trends but also address unmet patient needs. India-specific healthcare needs can be met through innovation on both digital and policy fronts. While placing the patient at the center of the care matrix, public policies should be structured in such a way that encourages technological interventions and makes healthcare accessible to all.
By Suresh Pattathil, General Manager, AbbVie India
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