In the year 2004, October was declared as Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Sharing his views, Sourav Chanda, Executive Director-Cybersecurity, Providence India highlights that the future of healthcare is now digital. The industry is at an inflection point as it explores how to securely manage large volumes of data for cloud-based applications and services, improve patient and employee experience, reduce costs, and enhance interoperability amongst large health systems
Over the past decade, although several B2C industries have gradually adopted cloud technologies to accelerate their digital transformation and deliver more customised and frictionless experiences for their consumers, the healthcare industry has been reluctant to do so due to patient and health data and a patient’s rights to privacy in healthcare. Given the sensitivity of data that health systems manage, the risks of moving from a physical, on-premise hosting model to a virtual cloud that requires stringent administration due to its countless services, high connectivity, and absence of physical restrictability has thus far outweighed the benefits of using digital technologies to improve patient experience.
All that has now started to change, thanks to the evolution of cloud technologies and digital security solutions, growing awareness of safety through initiatives such as October’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month, customer comfort with online personal data sharing, and increasing customer demand for digital user experiences. The future of healthcare is now digital. The industry is at an inflection point as it explores how to securely manage large volumes of data for cloud-based applications and services, improve patient and employee experience, reduce costs, and enhance interoperability amongst large health systems.
India’s national healthcare infrastructure is a combination of government, public and private sector interests, and therefore all need to come together to jointly strengthen cybersecurity maturity in healthcare for patient data protection. For example, because patient health data contains a great deal of confidential personal data, it becomes a prime focus for data theft for the purpose of impersonation, social or operational leverage, or financial misappropriation that could impact not just individuals, but industries in both public and private sectors.
Securing and ensuring resilience of the healthcare infrastructure should start with the government enabling a bigger role for the private sector given the pace with which cybersecurity is maturing in this sector. As the next step, the government should delegate cybersecurity responsibilities to the private sector, in return for accountability and liability. All sectors should come together to establish common elements, such as interests, priorities, strategies, and policies, and additionally focus investments on specialised cybersecurity education and research to build indigenous capabilities. Startups should be highly encouraged, as they bring fresh perspectives and ideas, and an innovation mindset.