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Transforming India's healthcare system with Technology: Affordable, Accessible, Available
Transforming India's healthcare system with Technology: Affordable, Accessible, Available

April 27, 2023

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For a country as vast as India, both in terms of population – 1.4 bn. (most populous country globally) and geographic size – 32,87,263 sq. kms (world’s seventh largest country), providing affordable healthcare can be extremely challenging. This is further complicated by the economic divide, i.e., the haves and the have nots, leading to a tug of war bet. public and private healthcare systems and the urban-rural divide where the rural/remote residents struggle to access healthcare facilities.

Despite steady improvements in key indicators like Healthcare Access and Quality Index (HAQI), life expectancy, infant / maternal mortality rates, health insurance coverage, etc., more needs to be done. And India is looking to heavily leverage technology to make this happen. Technology adoption at the corporate level, be it AI/ML, big data analytics, cloud computing, blockchain, AR/VR/MR, etc., is helping the healthcare ecosystem improve processes, enhance diagnostics, predict & prevent diseases/illnesses, build resilient supply chain, improve quality of care, etc. At the consumer level, affordable smartphones coupled with access to low-cost data services is helping even rural/remote population connect with healthcare practitioners for diagnosis and treatment. The Govt. of India has also launched multiple schemes/incentives/budget allocation towards transforming healthcare in India.  

Through this blog, I will be exploring some case examples and use cases of cloud adoption:

  • Coal India Limited – Organizational Change Management: CIL has shifted from a data centre to a cloud-based Healthcare Information Management System (HIMS) to streamline its healthcare workflow. It faced difficulty in tracking patient health records, inventory, consumable procurement cost, overall operational viability of their medical facilities, etc. systems. Of the 21 hospitals of CIL, the HIMS platform is live in 8 hospitals and 5 more were expected to go-live by Dec-2022. The system has proved to be beneficial in proper adherence to compliance-related metrics and efficient planning enabled by real-time dashboards giving insights on patients, revenue, and other departmental data.

IMPACT: 40-50% improvement in operational efficiencies; 20—30% lower inventory cost

  • Cygnet – Digital Document Management:  Provided a Computer Systems Validation with Electronic Signatures platform to a global pharma company in India, utilizing cloud and Blockchain technology to enable employees to sign and track workflows remotely and safely. The platform has resulted in reducing the time and resources required for manual document signing and tracking. The innovative use of Blockchain technology also ensures complete authenticity of the signing transactions.

IMPACT: 50% cost saving; 80% increase in operational efficiencies

  • Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories – Unlocking New Business: SVAAS OPD platform leverages cloud technology to improve healthcare in India. The platform's network of 2,500+ doctors, 900+ pharmacies, and 2,100+ laboratory touchpoints across 25 cities is equipped with Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems and an OPD insurance product to reduce financial risk. The platform can capture vital signs for regular monitoring; a Virtual Physiotherapist provides real-time feedback; enables fraud detection; and ensures 100% data governance and privacy adherence.

IMPACT: 30% lower development cost; Unlocked opportunities in the OPD and wellness space

  • Firstsource – Streamlining Processes: Firstsource is using cloud technology to offer hospitals a real-time insurance verification solution. This solution streamlines the payment process between the patient, hospital, and insurance agency. Patients could identify eligible insurance coverage (government and private) and enroll to achieve maximum reimbursement and smooth process. At the same time, the solution can benefit hospitals by accelerating the document gathering process and validating patient financial assistance data.

IMPACT: ~16% higher gross conversion rate (uninsured to Medicaid approved); ~33% decrease in total self-pay volume

  • Empower – Remote Patient Monitoring: Enabled a US-based healthcare provider that utilizes cloud technology and IoT to remotely monitor patient health and offer consultation services. The monitoring device can connect to various devices, such as blood pressure monitors, oximeters, and thermometers, to display real-time reports. This technology offers numerous advantages, including increased hospital staff productivity, reduced costs for patients, and reduced exposure to diseases for doctors.

IMPACT: 30% increase in productivity; Faster detection of anomalies at home

  • Philips Innovation Campus – Bengaluru - Expanding Use Cases: Philips leveraged the latest technological advancements to create a virtual hospital environment that provides hospital staff with seamless training experience. This approach has several benefits, including ensuring the safety of trainers during the COVID-19 pandemic, reducing the cost of training, providing self-paced training opportunities, and promoting environmentally responsible practices.        

IMPACT: 12 metric tons of Carbon emission reduced in a year – 35 metric tons reduced

  • The Indian government has launched several HealthTech initiatives to improve healthcare accessibility and outcomes. These initiatives include eSanjeevani, a telemedicine service for remote consultations, the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission for digitizing healthcare delivery, the COWIN platform for streamlining vaccination processes. There are more such initiatives taken by the government to make healthcare services more affordable, accessible, and efficient for citizens across the country.

IMPACT: As of April 27, 2023 – 382 million Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts (ABHA) created; Covid Vaccination Doses (1+2+Precautionary) administered -2.21 billion

To explore these case studies in detail, here is the link to download the compendium and to a few healthcare related reports:


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Sakshi Patidar
Senior Associate

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