The hospitals are taking initiatives to increase their capacities, especially in Tier II and Tier III cities
India is upgrading its healthcare sector. AFP
The COVID-19 pandemic acts as a transformation catalyst, accelerating the implementation and adoption of changes in public health interventions. With the circumstances changing rapidly, nothing confirmed can be forecasted about the changes that will take place in the health industry at large. However, here are some changes that Indian healthcare is seeing post-pandemic:
Strong medical infrastructure
The hospitals are taking initiatives to increase their capacities, especially in Tier II and Tier III cities. The government is also trying to make efforts to increase the bed count per thousand in order to avoid the accessibility gap.
Strenghthening of government policies
The government’s efforts to achieve universal health coverage through schemes such as Health for All, Ayushman Bharat and National Digital Health Mission are gaining traction. These missions aim to make health care more affordable and accessible to the entire country.
Awareness regarding health insurance
Health insurance awareness has grown significantly and is expected to grow further in the future. The number of people investing in insurance grows with each passing year and the trend is expected to continue due to increased awareness.
Increased use of technology
The popularity of online consultations and medical platforms is growing. This has increased accessibility in remote areas and could be very useful in an emergency. It is likely that a significant portion of such services, such as remote monitoring and management of larger numbers of patients, will remain telehealth-based after COVID-19, as it provides greater convenience and better patient-centred care, thereby partially addressing the healthcare system flow rate and capacity challenges.
Medical tourism
Foreign patients are drawn to India’s healthcare sector because of the availability of high-quality services at very low prices when compared to Western countries.
Use of social media and improving public health literacy
Interaction on social media and behavioural science is being used extensively for health promotion, education and mass communication. However, the pandemic has also highlighted the poor literacy among the general population. Improving public health literacy is now essential to help people to grasp the reasons behind the recommendations and reflect on the outcomes of their various possible actions, especially in the context of resource-restricted settings.
People have started taking their health more seriously and are now concentrating more on screening and prevention which help promote early detection and treatment
This is just the beginning. This pandemic has laid the foundation for improving healthcare preparedness. The realisation that technologically empowered solutions can be implemented and work well should constitute the benchmark for the greater integration of such technologies as part of routine healthcare design and provision.
Optimal outcomes can be attained when both patients and healthcare providers become active participants in this process.
The author is a Consulting Chest Physician, Masina Hospital, Mumbai. Views are personal.
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