Changing Face of Indian Healthcare
The healthcare sector in India witnessed a paradigm shift in the last few years. Earlier, the industry had a singular focus on disease-care. The practice was primarily citizen-funded, with PHCs, secondary care and tertiary care facilities fulfilling the need, in severe medical conditions.
But today, with an overkill of super-processed foods to timeless work-shifts; lifestyle upgrades come with an inbuilt compromise on general health, demanding better awareness as well as high specialty care. In addition, the overall increase in the buying power of public morphed healthcare into a service-oriented industry, holding the patient at the center of its universe.
The Ultimate Game-Changer
Throughout this time, the single-most element that revolutionized the healthcare industry in India was technology. Corporate houses ventured into the medical care landscape, modernized the concept of wellness, and turned it into a data-driven, efficiency-oriented system. The industry necessitated newer methodologies that ensured first-rate service delivery, while still keeping the costs minimum.
This new model has been characterized by specific focus areas; across non-critical care – dental medicine, eye-care, sleep-care, pain management, nutrition etc.; as well as specialized critical care – cardiology, neurology, pulmonology, nephrology, oncology etc. Cutting-edge product ideation catalyzed the transformation of concepts into marketable solutions. The medical industry today has an abundance of remarkable innovations such as telemedicine, digitized and electronic medical records, robotic surgery, gene sequencing, and wearable and implantable technology.
The demand for personalized patient attention encouraged ideas such as second opinion, customized care-plans, and doctor-patient interaction and connectivity. Patients’ priorities and expectations have reformed drastically too. Patients today want to know their options, receive excellent service – both medical and non-medical, stay updated and understand how they’re improving by the day.
What’s Up In The Future?
In the upcoming years, the sector would see a steep rise in the awareness of non-communicable conditions that result because of lifestyle changes. The focus of treatment will continue to change from disease-care to patient-care, empowering individuals with options of disease prevention, pain-free treatment and coordinated recovery.
The USD 80 billion industry of healthcare is pegged to grow at 20 percent year-on-year. As of trends, we expect to see some extraordinary efforts in sectors such as health/ wellness promotion, preventive care, patient engagement, psycho-social therapy, transition and rehabilitation care, and methodologies directed at reducing the possibility of readmission.
Emphasis would be laid on overall wellbeing and quality of life. In case of an illness, complete recovery and rehabilitation designed and implemented by a multi-disciplinary team, would help patients return to the highest levels of functionality and independence. Transition care would play an important role in reversing the effects of illness and help individuals lead a stress-free, healthy life after treatment.
The technology backed healthcare industry, sees immense scope for innovation, making it a great time for investors as well as innovators. We strongly opine that the next decade will see some of the most brilliant medical game-changers of all time.
It is all just a matter of time!
Author’s Note: As the first-of-its-kind transition care provider, in India SuVitas helps patients deal with drastic changes in their physical abilities, surroundings and medical needs after a major surgery or injury. Catering particularly to the need for transiting from a protected hospital environment to home, SuVitas empowers individuals with flexibility, strength and confidence.
About the Author : Sateesh Andra, Board of Directors – SuVitas
Managing Partner at Ventureast Tenet Fund. Founding Member of DFJ India and as a Private Investor earlier on, invested in India/U.S Venture Capital Funds. Prior to DFJ, Sateesh was the founder and CEO of Euclid, a Silicon Valley Startup in IT Management Software space.He has also served in product marketing and engineering leadership roles at Tsqware (Conexant), LSI Logic, VLSI Technology (Philips). Sateesh holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering. He is a Charter Member of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE). He is actively involved with the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy with the objective of popularizing sports, and promoting fitness consciousness in the corporate world. Sateesh co-founded Health Awareness Promotion Project India (HAPPI), which creates awareness about Non Communicable Diseases among IT professionals.
LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/sateeshandra