Healing the broken health system
Digitization of healthcare, a viable solution to the broken system
State of health care system in India.
India has made remarkable progress in its healthcare system since gaining independence. Life expectancy has increased from just 32 years in 1950 to 65 years today. This transformation is a testament to the country's commitment to improving healthcare access and quality.
Notably, the infant mortality rate has been cut by two-thirds since 1971, reflecting significant improvements in maternal and child health. Additionally, India has made strides in eradicating or containing infectious diseases such as smallpox, malaria, and HIV/AIDS. The World Health Organization has declared India polio-free after a long period of fighting the disease, which is a significant achievement.
Despite these successes, India's healthcare system still faces significant challenges. The country lags behind sub-Saharan Africa, Bangladesh, and Nepal on several health indicators, and most Indians seeking care are confronted with two unpalatable options: a public health system that is entirely free but of poor quality, if it is accessible, and a mostly unregulated private sector system that provides world-class services to some but often charges high prices.
The current healthcare system is completely broken. We have the highest out-of-pocket expenditure in the world and the worst doctor-to-patient ratio, both of which indirectly affect the quality of healthcare provided to patients. Over the past decade, non-communicable diseases have become a major challenge for public health, as these diseases are long-lasting and slowly progressing, requiring continuous care and routine checkups.
With India in the midst of a pandemic, now is the time to put healthcare reform at center stage. The goal should be to build a healthcare system that provides quality service, is affordable, and accessible to every citizen.
Digitization can shape the future of healthcare
In order to tackle the systematic problem-trio of accessibility, affordability, and quality. Indian healthcare must undergo a fundamental shift towards digitization. To satisfy the ever-increasing demands for professional medical services and make quality healthcare more accessible to remote and rural areas. The Healthcare system must update itself and become digitized. With digital healthcare infrastructure and delivery, India can accomplish its growth potential, and which is duly acknowledged by the Government of India. Recently, many digital initiatives have been launched in India such as the National Digital Health Blueprint, National Health Stack (NHS), etc. Adopting digital solutions across the care pathway of prevention, diagnosis, as we cure, is the smartest route for India to inch closer to the “health for all” goal.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the healthcare industry has rushed to embrace digital technology. Telehealth is just one example of how this pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital tools in the system.
In coThe basic idea is that instead of ferrying medical records in polythene bags from doctor to doctor, Indian citizen should be able to access their lab reports, x-rays, and prescriptions irrespective of where they were generated, and share them with doctors or family members with consent. This will provide a common digital language for the operations and interoperability of various health schemes. Digitising also would ensure transparency in the system and also would provide effective public service delivery on many fronts.
Cashless Care to ensure financial protection to the poor.
Fraud detection to prevent funds leakage.
Improved Policy-Making through access to timely reporting on utilization and measurement of impact across health initiatives.
Enhanced Trust and Accountability.
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Nice read. Indeed, not just the healthcare system but every business/non-profit/academic system would need to get digitized to survive in the coming years.