Dr Kanav Kahol, Head of Affordable Technologies at Public Health Foundation of India welcomed the Health Minister’s initiative

New Delhi, July 19, 2014 – This is a welcome development. It is high time that data starts traveling with the patient. A lot of lives are lost in developing countries because of lack of meaningful application of available health data and the data not being used for preventive promote and acute care purposes. The good thing is that we don’t need to start from scratch. There are many platforms already gathering health intelligence. The smart thing will be to avoid duplication and allow information to flow seamlessly through these platforms and ensure semantic interoperability amongst the databases. It is crucial that health data is not restricted to government sector alone and private players should be made part of a health information exchange system. A data portal with big data analytics will be critical in controlling costs, providing unprecedented access to healthcare and will lead to better resource allocation. Lastly, the government will need an agency to promote use of health intelligence that helps in evidence based policy making.”

Under Dr Kahol, PHFI has developed an android based Health Tablet – Swasthya Slate (Health Tablet) which is a bluetooth-enabled integrated diagnostic kit that works with an android based mobile

system, to perform 33 diagnostics tests, and is equipped with various applications that are created strategically to increase access to health care and health education in the country. Through a number of mobile applications, it is able to record a patient’s medical history, basic medical indicators and even offer on-the-spot diagnosis on the basis of the information gathered. It offers health communication through its knowledge sharing apps, with an aim to break unhealthy behaviour patterns. It even covers decision support tools to enable users to deliver quality recommendations for achieving better health, and provides strategic information for data driven policy decisions. Policy Makers can get real time data from portals and enhance data driven policy making. It is an affordable system that has been tested and employed across the world by frontline health workers, doctors and policy makers. It can provide a means of delivering a national screening and diagnostic service which can allow targeted health analytics, delivery and communication.

CCI Newswire