Hyderabad / New Delhi, Sept 21 (FN Bureau) The cost of healthcare will go down in the next five to ten years, and India will become the first country in the world to dissociate healthcare from affluence.” said Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty, Chairman, Narayana Hrudayalaya Limited, Bengaluru. Delivering the 14th Foundation Day Lecture on the topic “TRANSFORMING HEALTHCARE THROUGH DIGITAL HEALTH” organized by the ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education (IFHE) here recently, Dr. Shetty said that healthcare is being delivered as it was about a century ago, and the sector has not witnessed a major revolution that other sectors like food, communications, and travel have seen that drove down the prices.
But things are changing, and in a few years, India will prove to the world that the nation’s or family’s wealth will have nothing to do with the quality of healthcare that citizens will enjoy. Dr Shetty of Narayana Health (formerly Narayana Hrudayalaya) , called for a developing infrastructure to handle simple surgeries, lacking in most developing countries resulting in 17 to 18 million deaths annually. Dr Shetty said that health insurance is critical, and with new policies brought out by IRDA, hospitals can become insurance providers. This will be a game changer and transform the way healthcare is delivered in the country. He said that the existing health insurance in the country has some flaws as all the stakeholders – hospitals, insurance companies, and patients – do not trust one other.
If hospitals provide insurance, there is no conflict among the stakeholders, and the interests of healthcare providers and patients are aligned. Narayana Health has launched insurance to cater to the needs of the ‘missing middle class’ who cannot afford healthcare but can pay for health insurance. Dr Shetty said he was looking at making preventive care available to every person close to their place of work or home. He concluded his address by bringing to the fore the importance of digitizing healthcare. Dr Shetty said that healthcare would move to a digital platform, and all medical records must be available on a mobile phone. Access through mobile phones will avoid unnecessary tests and treatments, as doctors can access the necessary documents. He said that ‘mobile first’ approach to digitalization will dramatically change how healthcare will be provided and accessed in India.
Dr C Rangarajan, Chancellor of the University, presiding over the function, said a combination of universal healthcare and insurance could be appropriate for our country. He called for a scheme where the government has an important role to play and for providing some medical facilities free of cost. He said that the government needs to take care of certain kinds of people and has responsibility for some sections of society. He noted that the primary health center system should be improved, especially in rural areas. He said that when healthcare provider provides insurance services, it would reduce unnecessary costs and transactions. In his welcome address, Dr L S Ganesh, Vice Chancellor, spoke about the Yeshasvini rural health micro-insurance scheme pioneered by Dr Devi Shetty that extended health insurance to the poor and explained how Dr Shetty has brought time and cost efficiency in healthcare through technology.