India’s Progress
In Digital Healthcare Ecosystem:
To ensure inclusive welfare and
universal access, the need for sustainable healthcare infrastructure is
inevitable
(MoHFW) introduced
the Telemedicine Practice Guidelines in March 2020, paving the way for
regulated telemedicine practice in India.
The said guidelines deal with
1.physician-patient relationship,2. informed consent, 3.continuity of care,
4.referrals for emergency services, 5.medical records, 6.privacy and security
of the patient records, 7.issues of liability and negligence, 8.evaluation,
health education, and counselling.
A planned
rollout of the National Digital Health
Ecosystem (including the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission) that will consist
of 1.digital registries of health care
service providers and health care facilities, 2.unique health identity,
3.consent framework, and aid in universal access to health facilities.
The
Digital Information Security in Healthcare Act (DISHA) is proposed for the establishment of a national digital
health authority to promote and implement e-health standards, protect patient
privacy and security, and regulate the storage and sharing of electronic
medical records. The primary goal is to assist India in its digital health
journey.
Other
than the above initiatives by the Government of India, the ongoing digital
health initiatives include: ‘e-Hospital’,
which is a cloud-based Hospital Management Information System to help connect
patients, hospitals and doctors on a single digital platform; and ‘e-Shushrut’, which is a cloud-based
computerised clinical information system for providing accurate electronically
stored medical records of patients.
The
National Health Mission provides support to state governments for services like
telemedicine, tele-radiology, tele-oncology and teleophthalmology.1 Other
initiatives like the introduction of Aarogya
Setu app (for monitoring health status) and the e-Sanjeevani (web-based comprehensive telemedicine solution that
facilitates doctor to doctor, and patient to doctor teleconsultations),
continue to create a huge impact in the rapidly evolving healthcare
infrastructure of India.
Healthcare innovators,
including companies and stakeholders are rapidly embracing emerging trends to
bring new-age technologically to the forefront while studying the real-life
needs of consumers. Several other technologies are at their nascent stage, and
they have the potential to overhaul the health care sector of India.
These technologies include 1. Internet of
Medical Things (IoMT) which could digitise and connect all critical care units
of a hospital such as the ICUs, operating rooms, ventilators, navigation
systems, etc.; 2.artificial intelligence having advanced diagnostic
capabilities including remote diagnosis; 3.3D printing technology; 4.robot
assisted diagnosis and treatment of diseases, including minimally invasive
surgeries; 5.wearable healthcare devices, etc.
As a
part of its sustainable development goals, India’s aim is to achieve universal
health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality
essential healthcare services and access to safe, effective, quality and
affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.
The
various avenues for improving the current healthcare infrastructure with an aim
to achieve universal health coverage include: (i) electronic medical records,
aiding faster diagnosis through electronic records of patients available to
medical practitioners at the click of a button; (ii) artificial intelligence
and surgical robotics, enabling reduction in time and cost for clinical tasks
and surgical procedures; (iii) digital and smart health monitors which have
already been adopted by a large portion of the population for collecting
personalised vital signs and test results in real-time, leading to rapid
diagnosis, timely and proper treatment at an early stage, eliminating travel
and wait times for diagnosis.
Dr.CSRaju
Convenor-IMA HQ CE ACT COMMITTEE
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