From personal to professional, there is no stone untouched by the lethal virus that traumatised the lives in the last two years. While we are still struggling to cope with the after-effects of COVID-19, there is a massive transformation in all the sectors and ‘healthcare’, needless to mention, grabs all the limelight. The Healthcare industry along with education has been the fastest adapters of digitisation. Healthcare organisations are addressing the need for adopting robust and comprehensive digital structures to meet the futuristic needs of the patients. The government is also supporting the adoption process of digital health. Policies like Ayushman Bharat has accelerated the mobilisation of resources and utilisation of digital tools in healthcare.
“Due to COVID-19 pandemic, we have lost many human beings. However, the government’s good policies have helped us in rising health infrastructure to protect our future. The use of technology in the health sector is increasing and the government has constantly supported this through its policies. The allocation for healthcare in the current budget is also good. The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission has also been launched to support the digital health infrastructure of the country,” stated Dr Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad, Union Minister of State - Finance, Government of India. He lauded the young entrepreneurs who are doing good work in the medical sector through the use of technology.
Made In India
Revisiting the days of being a medical student, Karad said, “I am a surgeon and I remember the days when I was a student, there was very low technical involvement in the medical field. But now the technology has advanced. The ventilators which were imported from cross borders are now made in India. This has given a boost to medical equipments and technology. A single ventilator from abroad used to cost around Rs 10-12 lakh but the ventilators made indigenously in India are costing only about Rs 1.6 lakh.”
“Because of the advancement of the technology, the diagnosis and treatment of the patient is becoming very easy. With the help of the technology, the surgeries are also done with a minimum expenditure,” added Karad.
Sharing some of his experiences from the medical field, Karad informed, “While I was studying surgery as a post-graduate student, the ultrasonography was available in very few centres but now it is conveniently accessible even in the primary healthcare facilities. So it has become very easy to diagnose a disease, treat a disease and cure a patient.”