Diagnostics of Tomorrow: Towards a Healthier Future
Panelists at the InnoHEALTH 2017 discuss and share their experiences on the subject of Diagnostics of Tomorrow and opine about how diagnosis will play a pivotal role in ensuring a healthier future.
Keynote Address: Brigadier (Hony) Dr. Arvind Lal,
Moderator: Dr. Ravi Gaur
Panelists:
• Dr. Kamini Khillan
• Pieter Spee
• Pavan Asalapuram
• Siddharth Sangwan
The session was fittingly addressed by a very high profile group of panelists from the diagnostics industry, who shared their experiences and concerns about the state of laboratories despite the fact that innovations have been very emphatically used in this segment of health and medical facilities.
Taking a lead on this vital subject, Dr. Arvind Lal highlighted the need of accurate and reliable diagnostics to bring the best treatments. Sharing some startling facts and figures, he highlighted that with less than 7.5 doctors to a thousand patients, we are at the lowest end of the pyramid and have a severely underserved health care industry in the country.
Access to good health is a right and should not depend on where you live and how much you earn. But sadly, that is the reality in our health care system today. With less than 7.5 doctors to a thousand patients, we have a severely underserved health care industry. Even though we have more than 70 per cent of the country’s population in rural areas, but less than a third of the medical resources including doctors, laboratories, hospitals and hospital beds.
Emphasizing his and the establishment’s 50 years contribution to providing good health, he highlighted that he may have to rediscover the business of diagnostics, yet again.
Laboratory tests are responsible for 70% of clinical or medical decisions. This makes diagnostics the spine of the entire medical and healthcare system anywhere in the world.
Session moderator Dr. Ravi Gaur of Oncquest Laboratories opened the floor with his opinion on the subject. “Healthcare industry has probably seen the maximum innovations in India. Diagnostics has been moving from incremental to being disruptive with innovations; and that’s what the need of the hour is today. We need to cut short the timings; we need to cut short the process of diagnosis and arrive at a conclusion at the earliest so as to be usefully effective to the clinical process.”
Dr. Pieter Spee from Estonia, the Partner Country, gave international perspective to the process of diagnostics. He highlighted that innovations are even more important in diagnostics as it’s the early detection that enhances the medical treatment.
Estonia is emphatically developing new products, facilities, techniques and tests that support the process of diagnosis. Beyond that, access to lab results and sharing data in real time is the key to improved medical facilities and clinical treatment.
Diagnostics is complemented with very high intervention by innovations and inventions, and IT companies like IBM are also pitching in with their state of the art products like the Watson and Block Chain.
Taking the diagnosis beyond a laboratory process, Siddharth Sangwan of Hindustan Wellness highlighted the newly defined telemedicine process with new innovations and a new approach.
Explaining the process, he said that “We have been hearing of telemedicine from the Nehru and Indira Era. But what is accomplished so far is very less. We have now integrated the telemedicine system where the doctor explains the report to the patient and in the process takes the customer/patient in a walk through his report and diagnosis. Next step of telemedicine will be to integrate Artificial Intelligence so that patients can contribute to the clinical process and recover faster, with the additional help of doctors and medicines.
Other panelists also unanimously highlighted that diagnostics takes the lead in extending quality medical facilities and clinical treatment, and new innovations, should be encouraged in the industry in tandem with hospitals and doctors to be productively more useful and affective.
Healthcare industry has probably seen the maximum innovations in India. Diagnostics has been moving from incremental to being disruptive with innovations; and that’s what the need of the hour is today. We need to cut short the timings; we need to cut short the process of diagnosis and arrive at a conclusion at the earliest so as to be usefully effective to the clinical process.”
[/vc_cta]Innovations in India need to be brought to the grass root level. Handling blood, collection, storing and transfusions, requires innovative approach to handle the scarcity and the unfortunate reality of overstocking that goes wasted in our country. Need of the hour is to establish network between all the players in the supply chain that can eliminate crucial challenges faced by patients, clinics and blood banks as well.”
[/vc_cta]Innovations is even more important in the diagnostics as it’s the early detection that enhance the medical treatment. Estonia is emphatically developing new products, facilities, techniques and tests that support the process of diagnosis. Beyond that, access to lab results and sharing data in real time is the key to improved medical facilities and clinical treatment.”
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