September 14, 2015
Healthcare is one of the largest sectors in India by revenue and employment. The Indian healthcare industry is growing at a steady pace due to its accessibility, improved services and increasing expenditure by both public and private players. According to industry estimates, the overall Indian health care market today is valued at US$ 65 billion. Out of this, the health care delivery, which includes hospitals, nursing homes and diagnostics centres, and pharmaceuticals, constitutes 65 per cent of the overall market. The industry is poised to grow to US$ 160 billion by 2017 and US$ 280 billion by 2020 [1] .
This growth in the healthcare sector in India can be attributed to the advancement in medical technology and the way consumers avail healthcare services. Technology is playing a vital role in providing cost-effective, easily accessible services to consumers thereby, saving many lives.
There have been various technological innovations in the healthcare industry. The increased adoption of telemedicine, electronic health records and web-based services has made digital patient data expand. Today, we can create an account for every patient where all his/her healthcare data can be stored and made available to doctors. These electronic health records ensure accurate diagnosis and better treatment. You can also book an appointment online from anywhere in India, sitting in the comfort of your home/office.
From normal diagnosis to treatment of diseases such as cancer, technology has transformed treatment. For instance, in the effective treatment of cancer it is critical to track the patient’s progress over days, months and years. Now medical institutions can store medical images and patient records electronically, which can be instantly compared to previous images. These images can be quickly shared between consultants and remain easily available during the course of the diagnosis and treatment.
[1] http://www.ibef.org/industry/healthcare-india.aspx
Technology not only helps in making patient’s data more accessible, it is also aids in taking care of the patient’s health. Nowadays, there are several mobile applications that track the number of hours a person sleeps, the number of steps taken by an individual and dozens of calorie-counting and food-monitoring apps to aid the diet-conscious.
If the medical technological advancements increase at the same rate, the future holds much more promise for the Indian consumers. Availability of custom-made solutions will be a major factor supporting technology adoption in healthcare. Also, the deployment of robust IT infrastructure in Indian healthcare organisationsis imperative and the IT expertise should be adequate. Looking at the bigger picture, cost-effective cloud-based solutions are expected to drive increased adoption of technology in healthcare.
