In the pink of health, back again

The world is part of the second wave and is already bracing up, in many ways, for the next turn of the crisis. What would this mean for the healthcare space, as an industry and as a mindset both? To begin with, that’s a very poignant and relevant question, right now; a question that can have many answers. But the candid and brave one is what we need to hear before we step further into the new normal. And this answer hints that being panic-driven or using knee-jerk reactions won’t do. But at the same time, we cannot afford to be reckless or random in our responsiveness to what happens next. The issue was taken up in the Leader’s Talk at the Dataquest Digital Leadership Conclave between Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty, Chairman, and Executive Director, Narayana Health, and Arun Seth, Trustee, NASSCOM Foundation.

Pointing out that while it will be very difficult to predict about the third wave, Dr. Shetty says that gradually the pandemic is becoming like an endemic disease. “We may not see the kind of peak that we have seen in the past. People have been vaccinated or exposed to the virus. We should be mentally prepared. COVID-19 is something we need to accept to learn to live with.”

He lists down a lot of good things that have happened due to this pandemic. “Some years back patients sitting in my office came from remote corners and not many had heard of internet or telemedicine or cloud. It took 20 years for us to convince about the advantage of telemedicine. It took a lot of cajoling. But nothing happened. In two weeks, telemedicine became a reality and got legalised.”

That’s a ramification that the industry can appreciate. Who could have thought that we needed a pandemic to make telemedicine gain adoption and acceptance on many dimensions! In fact, COVID has turned the world upside down and it will not change again.

It took 20 years for us to convince about the advantage of telemedicine. It took lot of cajoling. But nothing happened. In two weeks, telemedicine became a reality and got legalised.

— Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty, Chairman and Executive Director, Narayana Health

Seth seconds that but wonders what should the top IT leaders in India be looking at now? Can IT use this momentum to get the same outcome on health expenditure as the US does?

India will become the first country to dissociate the healthcare quality factor with affluence – that’s a prediction a confident Dr. Shetty makes. “Some of the top doctors across the world live in India and stand out so well. Within the next seven years, it will become legally mandatory for doctors to get a second opinion from software. Essentially, technology will change everything. Today, we have conquered the Moon and Mars but we know so little about the complex human body. That’s the next conquest area for innovative engineers and doctors. We will great outcomes of technology in areas like the cost of healthcare, affordability, access, morbidity rates. We are the right country for that transformation to happen.”

What should the top IT leaders in India be looking at now? Can IT use this momentum to get the same outcome on health expenditure as the US does?

— Arun Seth, Trustee, NASSCOM Foundation

So like we proved in IT, can we repeat that feat? Can India be the medical care star of the world, Seth asks? Dr. Shetty explains that it is all about our attitude. “No American doctor wants to work outside the US. No British doctor works outside England. But Indians do it for both good opportunities and for expanding their learning. We are willing to work with healthcare systems in other parts of the world. This is supported by healthcare platforms and technology. This is a great combination.”

But there is a lot that needs to change, in many ways, and n a consistent manner. We spend more money to keep ourselves healthy than we spend on food – is there not something wrong somewhere, Dr. Shetty stimulated a big question and hoped for technology to change this dilemma.

Can India be the hub of manufacturing medical devices? Seth added to that ambitious train of thought. Dr. Shetty was optimistic about this ambition. “When you convert atoms into bytes, amazing things can happen.”

Indeed. As India picks up the positive dominoes of the pandemic, there is a big opportunity to keep the traction on and to keep bolstering our healthcare and innovation muscles in better ways.

By Pratima Harigunani

pratimah@cybermedia.co.in