Everything has become digitalised, and the only thing which needs the utmost attention of the government is the healthcare sector.
By Satish Singh,
A lot has changed since the pandemic hit the economy. Almost everything has taken a 360 degree turn because of the circumstances in the pandemic. Everything has become digitalised, and the only thing which needs the utmost attention of the government is the healthcare sector. A good health care sector is one of those pillars which forms the foundation of an economy.
Since the pandemic, more emphasis has been laid on making the healthcare sector digital friendly. With the launch of national public health initiatives like Ayushman Bharat and the National Digital Health Mission, India has taken a step forward to digitalise healthcare. The only thing that is acting as an obstacle is that the adaptation of technology for patients and doctors is not that easy. Many people are still struggling to acquaint themselves with technology.
The COVID-19 impacted our economy majorly in detrimental ways, but it has also opened up avenues for positive transformations like adoption of digital technologies in the healthcare sector.
With the circumstances changing rapidly, nothing confirmed can be forecasted about the transformation that will take place in the healthcare sector of our country. However, here are some changes that the Indian healthcare might see post-pandemic:
Strong Medical Infrastructure
The shortfall of the required number of medical facilities was one major problem that was highlighted during the second wave of the pandemic. Therefore, there’s the need for a sound healthcare system that is emergency ready for similar situations in future. Hospitals are coming forward to create more capacities, especially in Tier II and Tier III cities. The government is also aligning its efforts to increase the number of beds per thousand population so that there is no accessibility gap.
Governor Policies
The efforts of the government to achieve a universal health cover under schemes like ‘Health for All’, ‘Ayushman Bharat’ and ‘National Digital Health Mission’ are witnessing the acceleration. The motive of these missions is to make health care affordable and accessible to the entire country. Another objective is to offer scope for private players to expand their reach and make their presence more known.
Awareness about Health Insurance
The awareness about health insurance has increased significantly and is likely to rise coming time. The number of people investing in insurance increases with each passing year, and the graph is expected to go up, thanks to the awareness.
Medical Tourism
Foreign patients are more drawn to the health care sector in India because of the availability of quality services at very reasonable prices compared to western countries. So the trend of medical tourism in India is likely to increase in the coming years, post-pandemic.
Increased use of technology
In today’s times, the trend of online consultations and online medical platforms is on the rise. The government in India will focus more on increasing the use of technology in the healthcare sector which will prove to be very time saving, especially in case of emergencies.
Overall, India needs to invest more in upgrading the research and knowledge technologies, as the adoption of digital health infrastructure has become a necessity after the pandemic. And then obviously, the future of India’s healthcare sector is in the hands of the practitioners of tomorrow.
(The author is Founder, My lyf Care. Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of the Financial Express Online.)
