“India's digital goods are for the world. India's digital infrastructure and capabilities are enablers of global economic growth and human development.” This remark was made by Dr. V. K. Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, at the 3rd G20 Health Working Group meeting. It was held in Hyderabad, Telangana, from June 4 to 6. Digital health is a key priority under India’s G20 Presidency.
India has experienced an unprecedented rise in the adoption of digitisation in the healthcare sector. The country is consistently making efforts to minimise the digital health divide by promoting digital solutions and innovation to aid universal health coverage.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a wakeup call for the global health industry. It made the world realise that there are major gaps in health infrastructure, and digitisation has the power to minimise these gaps. Digitisation allows people in remote or underserved areas to access healthcare services that may not be readily available to them.
It enables universal health coverage through access to health care services for people regardless of their location and socio-economic status through initiatives such as telemedicine and mobile applications. One of the key factors driving this digitisation wave is the widespread availability of smartphones and internet connectivity across the country. This has opened up avenues for telemedicine, enabling patients to consult with doctors remotely and access healthcare services.
During the G20 HWG meeting, Dr. Paul cited the example of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, stating, “It brings together state government, union government, laboratories, insurance providers, health tech companies, doctors, NGOs, programme managers, and other stakeholders, keeping the citizens at the centre of these endeavours.”
Further, under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, India is dedicatedly working towards developing the necessary arrangements to support the integrated digital health infrastructure of the country and bridge communications amongst different stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem through digital highways. India’s National Health Digital Mission is also a giant step in the direction of strengthening digitisation in the country’s health sector.
Other breakthrough initiatives, such as the Co-WIN platform and e-Sanjeevani, among others, are also playing an instrumental role in the country's digital health ecosystem. The digitisation of health services has also led to the emergence of health tech startups in India, offering innovative solutions in areas such as online pharmacy and health monitoring, among others.
