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Healthcare systems need knowledge-driven healthcare model post COVID-19

The proliferation of digital technologies has seen the pandemic era and has enforced the need for digitalization of the healthcare system. No exception is India. India launched the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) in early August, which showed its commitment to rapidly incorporating digital solutions and technology and developing a strong and efficient infrastructure for healthcare. COVID-19 has stress-tested healthcare processes that need to be addressed, and opened loopholes. The digitalization of healthcare from decades to months has also shrunk.

Another key shift is that in both medical education and practice, automated healthcare services are now taken more seriously. With investments in facilities, materials, and manpower, the pandemic has improved India’s healthcare infrastructure. It has also contributed to substantial shifts in the way treatment is provided, from acute to community settings, from person-focused care to patient-centered care. This crisis, however, has highlighted a crucial missing link in our preparedness, which is the need for trusted knowledge to be updated and almost accessible in real-time. Post COVID-19, the winning combination will be to equip the new evidence-based expertise with digital technology and manpower to handle the crisis on the frontlines. As the adoption of data and digital health infrastructure and the whole healthcare system is accelerating during the pandemic, it is therefore important for India to urgently invest in upgrading its science and information technologies.

With the introduction of several national public health initiatives like Ayushman Bharat and the National Digital Health Project, India has an amazing opportunity to become a digital health pioneer. India will be able to operate an effective healthcare delivery system across the public and private sectors with a full-fledged, interoperable, National Digital Health Infrastructure, better respond to health emergencies and ultimately achieve the goals of quality of care and outcomes, and allow the transformation of health data to wisdom. We need to concentrate on removing the friction of incorporating new technology for patients and clinicians in order for this to happen.

 

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