Inclusive Healthcare

What is the issue?

With increasing emphasis on technology in healthcare, it is essential to ensure that it does not leave out the most in real want of it.

What is the need?

• The need for a healthy relationship between technology and medicine is vital in today's world.
• This relationship is determined by the interaction between tech companies and the medical profession.
• The entry of technology is believed to close the gap of relative lack of medical professionals to cover India’s large population.
• The logic is that e-health and phone advice could address this lacuna.
• But on deeper reflection, this view seems to be flawed, given the nature of functioning of the healthcare system in India.

What are the concerns in India?

• The number of medical professionals for the able-to-pay populace (as against the total population) is far too many (more than in developed nations).
• So the majority of Indians, who cannot pay, are unable to access the level of medical care available to the favoured few.
• Tech companies, being corporate bodies and profit-seeking, are driven to focus on the patients who can pay.
• Notably, this section is the same favoured few served by medical professionals.
• The fact that they want to serve the unattended many is hence suppressed.
• There is lack of effort to elevate the earning capacity, improve the health standards of the people and improve the quality of public hospitals.
• So the aim of technology should be to help the underserved receive the same quality of care available to the fortunate few.
• It should complement and improve the ability of professionals to do their assigned tasks.

Source: New Indian Express