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Managing healthcare digitally is slowly becoming the new normal for the next billion Indians. Indeed the concept is yet to be well discovered and encrypted with the daily lives of the people but gradually people are adapting to the wave of technological changes. In times such as now where the whole world is struck by a pandemic and all the medical facilities in the world are struggling towards finding its antidote people have well understood the importance of digital healthcare and that is why it is important to adapt to it with changing times.
When we talk about digital healthcare, it is important to understand how in the era of digitization, technology can help address the demand for healthcare with the resources available and how the technology can help fill the gap between resources available and the demand. There is geographic concentration of resources whereas the demand is spread out. There is cost of axis i.e. bringing in efficiencies into the system. There is also major focus on how digitization helps is creating a more accessible healthcare system. This would mean a very integrated approach across the entire healthcare ecological system and how there could be better capacity utilization of resources(1) and bring in access as well.
The government of India has started its initiative in the India health stack. The entire digitization of technology in the health care sector actually spans a couple of broad themes that have evolved.
One is around process and operation which is to make the entire health care system efficient .
The second is around the diagnostics equipment, having better utilization of them, using technology, bringing in digitization and addressing the gap between the resources available for the utilization of these resources and using these equipment better and for the entire health care system in order to be able to read and access these.
The third is around support systems, deciding support systems for doctors and how the healthcare system looks into that.
India had tabled a resolution at WHO for mHealt h, which was supported by over 30 nations. This clearly signals India's intent to be a global leader in Digita l Health. Digital Health has the ability to revolutionize how people engage with public health programs and improve health networks as well. India is now embarking on a revolutionary journey to bridge the gap in health care between the have and the have-nots using digital health instruments. We have a range of ventures which will deploy comprehensive technology. The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has been (2) taking several impactful initiatives in the field of Digital Health.
Our Honorable Prime Minister has tried to optimally exploit Digital Media & Electronic Health to address the main challenges we face in the health sector, such as scarcity of human health resources, accessibility of healthcare facilities, affordability of healthcare services, and so on. It is envisaged that citizens' electronic health records ( EHRs) would be created to ensure continuity of care and other similar advantages. Delivery of services to people via "online mode"(3) is at the core of the overall environment of electronic health which is being addressed.
Digitization has been the theme over the last couple of years and due to covid it has actually brought to the fore front and the sector is now totally poised to have an exponential growth in various reigns of investment or entrepreneurship providing facilities and opportunities to millions of people in need. Hence this can be truly seen as the future of the country, contributing and benefiting in all possible ways.
2 https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/health-it/india-to-become-the-world-leader-in-digital-health/5515 4100.
3 https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/health-it/digital-healthcare-in-india-on-the-cusp-of-a-revolution/5 9447572.
References-
1. https://ipatientcare.com/blog/how-digital-health-revolutionizing-healthcare-in-india/.
2. https://www.industrialautomationindia.in/articleitm/1210/Writing-on-the-Wall-%E2%80%93-Digital-Healt hcare-is-the-Future/articles.
Author- Aeshna Raghuwanshi, content writer, Legal Eagle.