NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Thursday, April 16, 2015

One of the biggest barriers to realising the national agenda of “healthcare for all” is tackling the existent complex, disorganised and expensive system of healthcare. Accessibility and affordability are two major challenges, and the future lies in innovative mechanisms of delivery. The popularity of mobile health applications and online health services attests to this need: Over 400 medical apps are available in the country, making it easier to maintain health related goals and make informed decisions. Mobile phones can track health parameters such as heart rate, blood pressure, calories consumed and burned,quality of sleep, and so on.

Online doctor consultations will transform the way people interact with physicians. Newly launched Lybrate, an online doctor booking and directory service with a pool of 50,000 doctors from the allopathic and indigenous systems of medicine, has a growing customer base. Max Healthcare launched their first healthcare app Max MyHealth, on Android and iOS, enabling users to book a doctor conducting an OPD at Max and even pay for it online. This app can be used to avail of health offers and access emergency services too.

From offering reviews of hospitals and doctors, to delivering cheaper generic versions of drugs to your home and online doctor consultations, ehealth or online healthcare applications are transforming healthcare. E-health can also help manage the sick in places where patients are poor or doctors are scarce. Fortis Healthcare monitors patients in critical care units through Critinext, a remote integrated critical care system that uses various communication tools to monitor up to 310 beds in ICUs in critically ill patients across 10 cities. Critinext is managed by a team of multi-disciplinary specialists and Critical Care experts. This is one of many smartly designed medical technologies being validated in clinical trials, with the potential to change the way we deliver healthcare. The advantages are expanded access, improved quality and lowered costs.