In next 5 years, India will witness 80 per cent increase in digital healthcare tools investment: Dr Jitendra Singh

Global healthcare practitioners, leaders, policymakers and think tanks have come under one roof to discuss ideas and implement new guidelines about the usage of digital health tools in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic at the recently concluded debut edition of Global Digital Health Summit

The two-day summit saw six-panel discussions and masterclasses, which were attended by over 1500 delegates from 35 countries and ambassadors from nine nations.

The inaugural edition of the summit was organised in association with The Global Health Connector Partnership (American Telemedicine Association, HLTH, European Connected Health Alliance, Commonwealth Centre for Digital Health, African Health Federation, The Digital Health Society, Health Parliament), The International Society for Telemedicine & Health, Switzerland, and Internet Governance Forum- Dynamic Coalition on Digital Health in the presence of Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh who revealed that in the next five years, India will witness an 80 per cent increase in investment in digital healthcare tools.

“Under PM Modi’s leadership, healthcare has become more focused on innovation and technology over the past few years. 80 per cent of healthcare systems are aiming to increase their investment in digital healthcare tools in the coming five years. Indian innovators are developing pathbreaking health-tech products and solutions. The government is applying these digital health developments through the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission,” he said.

Dr Vinod Paul, Member-Health, NITI Aayog said during the coronavirus pandemic, digital health tools have touched the lives of every Indian through teleconsultation, e-pharmacies and self-monitoring health applications.

“Our government is leaving no stone unturned to scale up the technology for people’s better health. Digital health has made remarkable progress in the last couple of years. Using digital health tools, 900 million Covid tests have been done, and 69 million teleconsultations have taken place. We have witnessed mission-driven progress in healthcare”, he added.

Jon Warner, US President ORCHA Health, put a special impetus on the usage of emerging technologies entailing 5G, AI, Gaming, and Metaverse in the development of healthcare facilities in India.

“To have extensive universal healthcare coverage in India, it has become essential that we integrate emerging technologies in our healthcare practices. India rolled out 5G earlier this month, which could be a game changer in the healthcare industry. We can implement a 5G-enabled ambulance, which can be equipped with the latest medical equipment, patient monitoring applications and telemetry devices that can transmit the patient health data to a hospital in real-time. This will strengthen the emergency care services in India,” added Warner. 

Dr Patricia Mechael, Co-founder, Global Digital Health Index, highlighted the challenges in data sharing and accessibility, which play an important role in delivering high-quality patient care. 

“It provides clinicians with immediate access to patient records, including medical history, test results and relevant information provided by other clinicians. With access to the right data, clinicians can deliver exceptional healthcare by making informed decisions substantially faster, reducing wait times and contributing to providing better healthcare at a better cost. However, access to clean, complete, and accurate data for use is still an ongoing battle in the healthcare sector. This needs to be addressed immediately,” said Mechael. 

Vidadala Rajini, Minister for Health, Family Welfare & Medical Education, Government of Andhra Pradesh unveiled a logo on “Women for Digital Health”.