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Explore Post Graduate Medical Education & Support our nation in developing PG Doctors. There is a great shortage of PG Medical seats in India and now existing (100 bed) hospitals can start DNB Programs at their hospitals.

As per the new announcement by the National Board Of Examinations: Union Ministry Of Health & Family Welfare’s, Fresh application are invited from the eligible hospitals to start DNB / FNB Program in all speciality areas. The last date is 15th March, 2019. 1. This is something unique, innovative and an excellent tool to explore your hospital. 2. DNB is at par with other qualifications like MD/ MS. Advantage of starting DNB Program:- 1. Name & Fame in PG Med Education

Chandigarh: 2 succumb to H1N1 in 1 week

2. Recognition from Union Ministry/ NBE 3. Your hospital will be recognised as Post Graduates

Institution 4. Extra working hands in medical treatment 5. Permanent qualified doctors for 3 years 6. All big hospitals backbone is DNB 7. Senior doctors will get assistance by DNB doctors 8. Excellent patient care through qualified doctors 9. First time Accreditation standard are relaxed. 10. Value addition to the Nation by Promoting PG Med

Education. 11. Great services to nation. 12. Innovative & Unique ideas 13. DNB pass out Doctors will be your ambassadors for the lifetime.

H1N1 virus has started gripping the city as 18 cases and two deaths were reported in the past five weeks and this week, respectively. Last year, four H1N1 influenza cases were confirmed from Chandigarh.“Last year, until February, only four cases and two deaths had been reported due to the influenza. However, this year, there has been over fourfold increase,” said a senior doctor in the UT health department.

Sources in the health department said the deaths were confirmed this week after an audit and the data has been recently submitted to the government. “Both the patients who died were women. While one was 85 years old, the other was 30. The latter had tuberculosis as well,” said an official in the UT health department. The total number of patients admitted in PGI from Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh are 21. This

Why healthcare infrastructure in India needs more attention? the Indian healthcare landscape is quite diverse and is characterised by a range of factors and internal and external elements. this holds true globally as well. countries and their healthcare systems have defined their healthcare systems depending on their population and disease profile; and the cOvID-19 has demonstrated the kind of negative impact that can be prevented by strengthening the healthcare systems.

At one end of the spectrum is the glittering steel and glass facilities supplying high-tech medicine to the well-heeled, primarily metropolitan Indian. At the other end of the spectrum are the dilapidated outposts in the hike is witnessed every winter, said far corners of 'other India,' struggling to live up to their epidemiologists. But as the strain of While the National (rural) Health mission has done a name as health sub-centres, yearning to be turned into influenza virus varies from year to lot to enhance the infrastructure of India’s governmentsanctuaries of health and wellbeing. With the current rate year, symptoms, severity and even type run healthcare system, many primary healthcare centres of population growth, increasing burden of diseases in the (PHc of vaccination changes annually. s) lack basic infrastructural facilities like beds, rooms, country, this spectrum is expected to broaden considerably, toilets, and drinking water facilities, clean labour rooms to offering even more complexity in the future. Will this year see more cases? deliver babies, and electricity regularly (Kasthuri, 2018). the need for strong efficient healthcare systems was felt According to the Unlike dengue, the pattern is difficult rural Health Statistics from moHFW when the nation was grappling with surge in cOvID-19 to predict. “The limitation of treating 2021, there are a total of 5439 PHcs in the urban areas and cases and was facing shortage of ventilators, hospital beds and oxygen cylinders. As the Indian government is ensuring universal healthcare for all, the fast-changing population demographics and its implications on the healthcare system remains a cause for concern. India has an extensive healthcare system, however, many differences remain in quality between rural and urban areas, as well as between government and private healthcare. this flu is that the strains keep on changing. Sometimes, we see the symptoms for a few days and these days, they go on for weeks,” said Dr Meeni P Singh, virologist, PGI. Changes in the virus over the years “It’s no longer a traveller’s disease. of 3966 PHcs in the tribal areas as on 31st march 2021. the recent NItI Aayog report 2021 titled ‘reimagining Healthcare in India through blended Finance’ highlighted that 50 per cent of India’s population has access to 35 per cent of hospital beds, thus indicating a strong need to strengthen healthcare infrastructure to ensure access to healthcare facilities for all. to ensure health facilities for the people living in rural

India, the government has established 24,855 PHcs, 15,8417 sub-centres, and 5,624 community health centres as per 2020 data (Primary Health centres (PHcs), 2020). the government-run health care system comprises limited tertiary and secondary health institutions in major cities, and it has focused on providing primary health facilities, in the form of Primary Health centers (PHcs), in rural areas. the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) stipulate the provision of primary health care for the rural population via sub-centres, primary health centres (PHcs) and community health centres (cHcs), whereas secondary care is provided via district hospitals and sub-district hospitals. recent experiences strongly recommend that a revision of the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) is needed for the district hospital, sub-district hospital, community health centre, and Primary Health centre (Sodani, n.d.). together, these are the nerves of India’s public healthcare system, and the standards on district hospitals for the provision of services, staffing, facilities, supplies, equipment, supplies, and infrastructure needs to be re-examined. Public and private health systems are placing a tremendous burden on India’s ability to develop outstanding leaders and healthcare professionals. Health data needs to be the policy priority in India’s urban public health. to combat all the above health infrastructure issues, the Government of India launched the Pm Ayushman bharat Health Infrastructure mission (AbHIm). In the next 4-5 years, the goal is to improve the vital healthcare network from village to block to the district to regional and national levels. there are three sides to this mission. the first is the development of complex diagnostic and treatment facilities. the second is connected to the testing network for illness diagnosis. the third issue is the growth of current pandemic research centres, specifically for infectious diseases.

Teleradiology: Coming of age?

How effective is teleradiology in India: Market status

As per marketsandmarkets, 'the teleradiology market is expected to reach $14.8 billion by 2026 from $7.3 billion in 2021, at a cAGr of 15.3 per cent during the forecast period of 2021 to 2026. Due to the outbreak of coronavirus globally, there is a sudden rise in the demand for teleradiology services. In 2021, teleradiology market reached to $7.3 billion.' vikram thaploo, ceO, Apollo telehealth explains, “the healthcare industry in India is witnessing sharp growth across various sectors, radiology being a prominent one. the world of technology and imaging is constantly evolving, opening up new avenues to a new world of innovations. According to tmr (transparency market research), the worldwide tele-radiology market was valued at $2.6 billion in 2018 and is expected to grow at a cAGr of 16.9 per cent from 2019 to 2027.”

“With a noticeable shift towards preventive healthcare from prescriptive healthcare not only in India but across the world, tele-radiology is further gaining significance as it allows faster and better dissemination of patient information to physicians. the cOvID-19 pandemic has also catapulted the growth of tele-radiology services in India, emerging as a key solution to rapidly report the huge number of images generated. As India continues to face a severe shortage of radiologists, tele-radiology is turning out to be a viable option to act as a stuffing buffer”, he added. the growth of this market is mainly attributed to the rising geriatric population and the subsequent increase in the prevalence of associated diseases; the increasing number of advanced imaging procedures and a shortage of skilled radiologists; advancements in teleradiology the increasing adoption of cloud-based solutions.

Stressing on the possible factors responsible for this sector’s growth, Dr Gur Prasad vashisht, Director radiology, Asian Institute of medical Sciences added, “the rapid expansion of the information technology (It) sector is one of the key reasons for the growth of the market in the country. moreover, India is witnessing a considerable rise in the number of individuals suffering from cancer and osteoarthritis which is catalysing the demand for teleradiology in the country. Other factors such as social distancing and quarantine measures undertaken due to the coronavirus disease (cOvID-19) outbreak are responsible for the increase in the utilisation of teleradiology in India.”

Dr Sunil Narayanaswamy, consultant radiologist, bGS Gleneagles Global Hospitals, bangalore also highlights that, “teleradiology like every other branch of telemedicine, owes

its birth to imbalance between demand and supply. Up until very recently, teleradiology was only used in emergencies. but with the advent of accessible and affordable internet, this practice has begun to spread very fast and wide. It is as easy to send images as it is to send emails that have attachments. there are now computer programs that are dedicated specifically to the transmission of radiological images. these developments have subsequently resulted in teleradiology turning into a significant medical practice, and it continues to grow in importance.”

Sharing his insights on the teleradiology market, Sunil thakur, Partner, Quadria capital said, “Digital tsunami is rapidly revolutionising healthcare, albeit in different ways and stages, across the world and especially in high tech adoption countries like India. Among the many segments of healthcare that are pacing up on this digital highway, teleradiology is one segment that has a substantial potential to achieve deepest impact both in terms of attending to high unmet need as well as to support supply side in the most consistent and wholesome way.”

“the teleradiology segment in India has grown upwards of $350m growing at 15 per cent pa, thanks to both global and local demand. It is mainly dominated by x-rays with 40 per cent followed by ct at 35 per cent and mr at 25 per cent. the value proposition and service offerings straddles all the way from simple workflow management, to scan reads to supporting training, population health management, second opinion going all the way to deep tech anchored by sophisticated AI. each of the services have varying degree of manual intervention and that’s what defines the product sophistication. that said, to a very large extent, the success of teleradiology will depend on how it integrates with and supports the radiologist”, he added.

How to undertake radiology/imaging equipment planning and procurement

Human body is a complex and mystifying structure and so is the different applications of various modalities in the department of radiology and Imaging. It refers to several different technologies that use imaging methods to scan and image the human body to diagnose, monitor or assess treatment of medical conditions. Some of the high ticket equipment under radiology include ct Scan, X-ray and cathlab, among others.

Understanding how to plan the different types of radiology/imaging equipment thereby covering a few aspects of project preparation, procurement, project delivery, total cost of ownership, and emerging new technologies is of crucial importance.

If a hospital buys equipment without proper planning, it may result in overkilling or suboptimal results. In order to achieve value for money and improve overall project outcome, the planning and procurement must be done in a systematic manner. the locus of points for planning and procurement of radiology equipment are as follows:

Budget: In medical industry, the cost of medical equipment/infrastructure is to the tune of 25 to 30 per cent of the overall capex of the hospital facility. If we go by a thumb rule cost, then the per bed cost of medical equipment for a multispecialty (tertiary care) facility would be in the range of rs 19 to 20 lacs. For a 100-bed hospital, if the equipment cost goes to the tune of rs 25 to 30 crores then approximately half of the cost will be attributed to radiology equipment i.e. rs 12 to 15 crores.

Need assessment: before initiating the procurement of any radiology equipment, it is important to consider the overarching goals of the health facility. most wellrun hospitals have a multi-year strategic plan that clearly defines priorities and guides major procurement decisions. With the increasingly rapid speed of innovation and commercialisation of medical technologies, in planning a greenfield site, it is important to conduct a need assessment study covering parameters, such as type and location of facility, number of patients, special infrastructure needs, adequate staff and their training and maintenance.

Level of technology: In order to establish the level of technology and brand options, it is very important to curb oneself from buying and maintaining a white elephant. technology selection should be retrospectively upgradable. A typical bone of contentions could be exemplified with following examples; 1.5 t mr vs 3 t mr, 10-inch detector cathlab or 20-inch and retro-fit Dr or full room Dr.

Space and engineering planning: coordination between Interior designers and Architects is a must w.r.t room and space planning and finalising the location of the equipment. by compiling an equipment book including manufacturer’s installation data and cut sheets and forwarding the necessary info to the interfacing departments to develop architectural and engineering components of the facility can be an effective way.

Procurement schedule: It is important to draw up a procurement schedule to understand the timelines to by which the equipment orders finally need to be placed. Depending on the modality, 4 to 6 months is the estimated lead time from the day of release of PO till commissioning.

Preparing techno commercials: technical commercials evaluation of the bids received is the most critical factor in the entire process. there should be a demo arranged for the client in coordination with the respective vendor for the equipment in consideration. Price alone may not necessarily represent the value of money, hence the buyer should consider other points such as the reputation of the equipment supplier, bundling of packaged deal, provision of turn key design solution, among others. Total cost of ownership

tcO is an estimate of the total costs associated with a solution over the whole of the operational life. Different types of equipment may have different tcO elements. the three common elements under this include acquisition costs, commissioning costs and operation/ maintenance costs.

Emerging trends and potential of technology

With advancement in technology at such a rapid pace, more and more sophisticated and high modality equipment is emerging in to the domain of Diagnostics and Investigations. Artificial Intelligence in mrI and ct imaging is the new boon in the radiology segment which allows deep learning of every organ of our body under scan. AI based tools have eliminated the redundant and manuals ways of scanning a patient body and have actually assisted in making the life of the radiologists simpler. New algorithms and new technology coils allow better patient compliance, assists in auto-planning, helps in monitoring the patient vital signs without any extra gadgets, minimises the risk of re-scan and removes the artifacts post acquisition. today a patient while under scan can breathe freely without any body strap and watch a movie of his/ her interest during the time of examination. A new ct scan with dual energy pattern, (high and low energy image) allows less exposure to the source and gives better anatomical results.

Wipro GE Healthcare launches ‘Made in India-AI enabled Cath lab’

Ge Healthcare has announced the launch of its first ‘made in India’, ‘AI-powered’ cath lab – Optima IGS 320 to advance cardiac care in India. built at Wipro Ge Healthcare’s new factory launched under the PLI (production linked incentive) scheme in bengaluru, the cath lab leverages the Ge proprietary Autoright technology.1 Powered by edison, Autoright, is the first neural network-based interventional image chain.2 Autoright features Artificial Intelligence that automatically optimises image and dose parameters in real time, enabling clinicians to focus their attention and expertise on patients. this new generation of interventional imaging software in Optima IGS 320 enables clinical versatility to guide sophisticated non-invasive procedures with greater precision. Automating the typically complex process with Autoright helps reduce the burden on interventionalists and may increase their attention on the procedure.

Dr Shravan Subramanyam, managing Director, Wipro Ge Healthcare said, “At Wipro Ge Healthcare our mission is to move from health care to healthy ageing and that can be accomplished with predictive, preventative, personalised medicine. the rising complexity of patient profiles and shifting disease patterns is making the need of personalised care even more vital and Artificial Intelligence solutions have the potential to transform the patient care pathway. With our ‘made in India’ AI-enabled cath lab, we aim to drive intelligent imaging to support cardiologists

and patients with customized treatment protocols and therapies and enable access to quality healthcare across all of India.”

Srikanth Suryanarayanan, Head-Imaging, Ge Healthcare South Asia said, “With Optima IGS320, we bring to market an imaging innovation that reflects the future of healthcare. this ‘industry-first’ cath lab has a new generation of interventional imaging software that enables clinical versatility to guide sophisticated, noninvasive procedures with greater precision and reduced risk. Our aim is to reduce the burden on interventionalists, increasing their attention on procedures, so that they can utilise every second to bring their clinical expertise to treating patients.”

Designed for cardiac and electrophysiology procedures, Optima IGS320 advances visualisation across imaging to support intelligent and precision healthcare delivery. It enables flexibility during operations by enabling friendly gantry movement. moreover, with intuitive and advanced features like the PcI ASSISt, the cath lab also enhances image quality that may guide stent placement with increased accuracy. this may reduce complications and empower physicians to conduct complex procedures with confidence.

Significance of a well-managed public healthcare system

efficient management skills are a mandate for companies, who aim to excel in their field. this also applies to the field of healthcare, where management plays an extremely important role as any ups and downs in that can mean the difference between life and death for patients. the significance of management skills in the healthcare industry is an established fact because of the cruciality of their work. So, hospitals and their personnel need to be properly trained and have special management skills to keep up the task. managers of health care services at hospitals are responsible for a wide variety of departments. On various steps they have to devise unique solutions to a wide variety of challenges to make certain that the hospital is efficiently impactful in providing healthcare.

Global medical treatment delivery needs a new level of upgrade catering to the different levels of recently cropped difficulties. Healthcare has seen multiple, newly introduced medical practices. It is also evident that the employees in all areas of healthcare are stretching their expertise and doing more than ever. management must stay updated with emerging technologies and cater efficiently to healthcare services of the digital age to meet the needs of a diverse patient population, including the aging patient population. We must have access to superior management technology, to avoid any global crisis in healthcare sector. to get a better grasp on this subject, one needs to first comprehend the many different patient units that the manager is responsible for supervising. there are several difficulties and concerns regarding staffing that need to be addressed across the board, from the cancer ward to the pediatric hospital. When nurses in one department are working under unreasonable amounts of stress, those same nurses in another department may not be under as much pressure. A good manager will comprehend this concept and be able to place the appropriate workers in the appropriate departments to assist patients. the manager needs to have the ability to multitask and focus on the pool of personnel and departmental difficulties at the same time.

the management in health care sector needs to handle and resolve multiple situations related to functioning of the hospital, keeping in check the quality of care offered and the efficiency of the personnel simultaneously. they are responsible for planning, supervising, and coordinating the activities of a wide range of practitioners, in addition to having oversight of departments and groups. they must be error-free when juggling multiple responsibilities at once and performing multiple tasks simultaneously. On top of that, a healthcare management department needs to have the following abilities to be successful in their job:

Successful healthcare managers use their analytical skills to examine current procedures and find development areas. In healthcare administration, analytical abilities are the ability to understand health data, translate it into a clear format, and draw insights from changes, trends, distribution, and outliers. the healthcare management department must engage regularly and frequently, with patients, doctors, nurses, families, emergency workers, insurers, and regulators. teamwork is needed to direct competent experts to explain and conduct complex hospital processes. Hospital administrators are supposed to put patients, staff, and the hospital’s needs first.

A healthcare management department needs a team with administrative, financial, and patient care abilities. Healthcare managers must take a holistic approach to improve patient care, accounting for every aspect of the patient’s entire experience, from appointment scheduling to hospital or clinic parking. the most effective healthcare administrators understand the cases coming in for treatment, whether they are injuries, diseases. they also should have basic knowledge of their symptoms, treatments, and prevention techniques. managers can have a significant impact on a health care facility through the provision of dependable services. they need to have the capacity to comprehend in addition to being able to manage and direct the services provided by all the departments. Hospital operations are important to a variety of stakeholders, including medical professionals, insurance firms, and even technology distributors. managers are obligated to seek out these groupings and direct them toward a unified objective. they need to be familiar with the appropriate ways of funding and the procedures for directing the flow of funds to the appropriate departments and resources. management of health care industry is the one who is responsible to guarantee that a high-quality facility is always available for patient treatment. So, the managers often go above and beyond what is expected of them. As a result of this factor, managers have a position of significance in the healthcare industry. they can integrate the commercial parts of running the hospital with the medical skills to make a link between the two, which is both necessary and reliable. this essential connection is what determines the success of the hospital, which in turn creates a medical service that patients can rely on.

COVID-19 wave has had a huge impact on the air ambulance business

Piyush Narang, ceO and co-founder, QuickAir Ambulance explains to viveka roychowdhury why he believes that they are here to save lives in critical conditions and even though the air ambulance industry in India is still at a very nascent stage in India, they have become a basic segment of the advanced medical services framework of the country, more so during the current pandemic.

A year into the medical transport business, QuickAir Ambulance has reportedly executed 1500+ trips with an on-time rate of 98.5 per cent, including 500 evacuations dealing with patient transfers, organ transfers, medicine as well as human remains transfer. So how does it deliver on its promise to provide emergency medical transport support at the right time and at the right price?

Narang explains the challenges faced by his start up air ambulance services company, their membership model, the medical technology and human expertise that goes into operating an air ambulance and how some life changing cases during the current cOvID-19 pandemic reaffirm their commitment to make this service more affordable across the country. How common are air ambulances in India? Is there a demand supply gap, especially during COVID-19? the air ambulance industry in India is still at a very nascent stage with supply only limited to the situation and a few geographical boundaries. In India, there are make-shift air ambulances, those which are just available because of

the emergency and have not yet become an industry norm. It is primarily because of the huge expenses involved. the airlifting process isn’t cheap, and it even requires a lot of documentation for the patients to be airlifted. both time and money pose as the biggest challenge in India and are the reasons why air ambulances are only in demand in extreme emergencies.

How did you hit on the idea of setting up an air ambulance service in India, after a career in the aviation industry? I have been the aviation industry for as many as 15 years and I have had those experiences where a patient’s family would do anything to get the money for their treatment. they would sell their jewelry or even property as a desperate measure to save their loved ones. these experiences are why we set up QuickAir Ambulances. the idea behind QuickAir was to have something that could be well within the means of a common man, one which would be easily approachable and economical.

What were the challenges of setting up such a business? As I said before, air ambulance industry is very costintensive, for patients as well as for the providers. It requires a lot of investment and to be able to provide the services that are efficient and affordable for its end users, the owners usually must bear the entire cost. Secondly, it isn’t easy to make people believe they can be benefited by such technology. So, creating a market and demand for the product had been a challenge for us.

Given that you head the operations team and look after communication with third-party operators, how do you guarantee quality of services, given that these are life and death situations? most of it comes from my own life experiences. During my time in the industry, I have successfully evacuated more than 1500 patients and so, I understand the importance of life and death. It is only a matter of few seconds that could prove to be fatal for the patients, which makes this process of choosing the third-party operators more stringent than ever. We are very strict about our quality and efficiency standards only because we have the precious lives in our hands.

What are the USPs of your company given that there are competitors in the market? At QuickAir Ambulance, we work hard to provide an extremely affordable and cashless air ambulance membership plan that helps our end users with free airport-to-airport transfer in case of an emergency. We have thoroughly studied the market and set up a very competitive and convincing membership plan for our customers.

You co-launched Ambulance in August 2019, what has been the traction so far, in terms of operational spread in the country, revenues, number of patients and organs shifted, etc? currently we are focused on establishing a strong customer base, one that believes in our services and considers air ambulance as an important aspect of medical emergencies. We have been creating awareness about the need of it rather than focusing on numbers of counting the number of successful transfers.

Can you describe some of the most challenging cases so far? there are many. In the recent past, we have successfully shifted several patients and each case teaches us a valuable lesson for our future moves. We once shifted a patient from Delhi to chennai whose lungs had been compromised and he had a heart stroke with many other medical complications. He was a cOvID-19 patient in the recovery, thus, had an extremely critical condition. We had to plan this transfer very meticulously and in coordination with the hospital authorities by the second so that everything falls in place when we arrive. It was a life changing case and we come across such cases very often, leaving us in awe with our work and business. We are here to save lives in such critical conditions.

What is your business model, how have you made your offerings more affordable for different customer segments like patients, hospitals, etc? We have carefully curated the set of services and membership plans for the hospital network and patients, respectively. With our fully equipped air ambulances, we offer patient transfers, organ transfers, medicine and human remains transfer. Our operations care center handles the logistics to carefully transport everything and everyone on time. As far as our membership plans are concerned, we have one for each, individual and family at very affordable rates.

Can you give us an idea of the average cost of the service? there is no average cost for a medical airlift as it depends upon the distance between the two geographical locations. We have cashless air-lifting services to our members in the times of need.

You indicated that the air ambulance business involves a lot of documentation. How does the company collaborate with hospitals, state governments, etc? Airlifting process requires a lot of paperwork and approvals

from the state as well as hospital authorities. However, our users opt for our services at the time the situation is critical and road transfers cannot help, which makes the coordination with the authorities smooth. the departure hospital, destination hospital and the doctors, all of them understand the sensitivity of the situation and make the boarding easier for the patient to be stable and get transferred safely.

What are the company’s expansion plans? We plan to expand exponentially in the next one year by opening our offices in multiple cities and broadening our fleet of aircrafts. What we have done so far is only the tip of the iceberg and we have lots more in store for the industry and our customers.

As a start up, who are your current funders and do you plan to approach more funders for the scale up process?

We are a self-funded startup and we’ve been blessed with the friends and family who have supported us, financially and emotionally, and trusted our instincts of getting into an industry that is still fresh in India. We would definitely like to approach more like-minded investors in the future.

How did the COVID-19 pandemic change the air ambulance industry and how did QuickAir Ambulance cope? the cOvID-19 wave has had a huge impact on the air ambulance business. today, people have become more conscious and aware of their healthcare. On the other hand, it has made our job slightly tougher than what it was already. Operators like us need to be more cautious now, since we have to ensure our patients don’t contract the virus as the chances of them getting infected are higher with their critical conditions. this increases the time of preparing the aircrafts for the transfers and thus, requires us to act faster than we already do.

How is technology changing the contours of the air ambulance sector in India and globally? Innovation in the medical healthcare sector combined with expanding tendency towards quicker and proficient methods of transportation are helping the air ambulance industry grow bigger and stronger. the air ambulances come with cutting edge clinical facilities, gadgets utilised in emergencies, to give prompt clinical consideration to the patient until they reach the closest hospital.

In addition, air ambulances have trained clinical experts to treat patients in crisis while they are on board. they are technologically efficient in addressing the issue of long travel time and lacking the ability to reach distant areas, which are two of the major challenges faced by road transport. In this manner air ambulances have become a basic segment of the advanced medical services framework.

What is the projected growth of the air ambulance sector globally and in India? As of now, Asia has the least penetration in the air ambulance industry of the world even though 50 per cent of the world’s population resides in this continent. this shows the kind of potential that we have in India and around.

What are the career opportunities that open up in this sector? the healthcare sector and medical transport sector are inseparable. Having said that, the current global crisis has exposed the need for better and expanded hospital services along with the need for a bigger healthcare workforce. thus, as the healthcare sector grows, the need for more air ambulances will arise, requiring more infrastructure. Hence, a combination of all of this will ultimately give rise to employment opportunities in all of these sectors exponentially.

Digital health platforms, telemedicine shall be integral to healthcare in post-COVID world: Shobana Kamineni

Shobana Kamineni, executive vice chairman, the Apollo Hospitals Group explains to viveka roychowdhury how the Apollo 24|7 app, launched in February, has in some way, been able to bridge the urban-rural gap in terms of healthcare and the role of such telehealth platforms post the pandemic. She believes that telemedicine will not entirely replace the physical healthcare, but it will be a smarter choice for people, helping to take the load from hospitals, while hospitals continue to play an important role in advanced cross functional treatment requirements, advanced diagnostics and surgical interventions. She also gives details on the expansion plans to stay ahead of the curve in terms of customer satisfaction

With a tough Q1FY21 behind us thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, what are the profitability challenges faced by hospital chains in India and what are the measures taken to mitigate these challenges? Hospitals all over the world are obviously facing major challenges due to the pandemic. Honestly, challenges pertaining to profit are not the main concern here. the world at large seeks to ensure that adequate healthcare facilities are provided to the public through novel means. Of

course, low revenues plague hospitals in the country as the cost of medical equipments seems to increase. Additionally, OPD walkins and consultations have come down significantly since the lockdown. but, the tumultuous and volatile business environment during this time has given us all a vital lesson of ‘reinventing and evolution’. Providers have realised that round the clock service availability and access to specialists is the primary duty that each provider, must provide, and at Apollo we have fulfilled the same via all our channels. In this aspect it is not fair to evaluate business and profitability in a preplay ‘revenue’ sense but in a manner in which we can demonstrate the number of lives that have been touched and healed in this pandemic.

I can say that the sector has evolved swiftly and has taken the digital route to ensure that healthcare reaches the patients uninterruptedly. While there was definitely a digital transition taking place before as well, the pandemic has accelerated its adoption by both doctors and patients. the use of cutting edge technology and data has been central to the functioning of the Apollo ecosystem since its inception. We have always valued technological innovation as paramount to our evolution. With this ideology in mind, Apollo 24/7 was launched to enable users from any part of the country to use trusted Apollo services from their phones, at the click of a button. the platform gives the patients access to more than 7000 quality Apollo doctors, and across 55+ specialties. the platform also provides healthcare services such as seamless medicine delivery at home, diagnostic test booking and doorstep sample collection, digital health records, home healthcare and more. this has especially been beneficial to tier 2 and tier 3 cities, as they’re able to access better healthcare facilities from the comfort and safety of their homes.

Hospitals like AHEL have re-focused on other revenue plays like pharmacies, diagnostics etc. In fact, since patients cannot come to the hospital/ doctor/pharmacy, these facilities have gone to the patient through tele-consultations and omnichannel health platforms. Have ventures like Apollo 24|7 made up for the loss of revenue due to the price cap on COVID-19 treatments? Indeed, telemedicine has received a never-before impetus since the onset of the pandemic. even the Indian government has legalised and standardised telemedicine this year by issuing strict guidelines for its practice. Apollo has been always a step ahead in pioneering technology and medical innovation, with this foresight, we had established the first telemedicine setup 20 years back.

With our core philosophy of bringing quality healthcare to every individual we launched Apollo 24/7 in February before the government announced the nationwide lockdown. this has allowed us to continue to provide services to a majority of our patients and deliver healthcare services digitally to people who need it the most. this has also helped us to create access to the best medical specialists without any geographical limitation with ease of booking various services at their fingertips

Apollo 24/7 has helped us continue our mission to provide better healthcare to all, especially during these uncertain times. Apollo 24/7 is the fastest growing health app in the country. During the last six months of operations, we attracted over 15 million Indians to engage with us and over 3.5 million users to register themselves on the app. these users are from 400+ cities across the country. And most importantly, we’ve been able to reach out to areas with poor health infrastructure through the platform. 33 per cent of our registered users are from tier 2 and 3 cities. these cities also account to 21 per cent of our virtual consultation with Apollo doctors. Hence, in some way, we have been able to bridge the urban-rural gap in terms of healthcare.

Will these newer revenue streams like omni-channel health platforms such as Apollo 24|7 remain a part of the post-pandemic world? Will the vision last beyond the pandemic? the health seeking consumer behaviors has changed and we believe will continue to exist even post pandemic as “ the new normal” provides access to primary healthcare services at their fingertips. Also, we are highly certain that digital health platforms and telemedicine shall be an integral part of healthcare in the post-cOvID world.

back in 2019, the Indian telemedicine market was predicted to reach $32 million by 2020 and now it is expected to cross $5.5 billion by 2025. the extended lockdown and quarantine regulations have only acted as a catalyst in the growth of telehealth apps, which has registered a growth of over 178 per cent in the remote consultations. the improved internet connectivity has also enabled people from tier 2 and 3 areas to easily access tele consultation.

In the post cOvID world, we are sure that people will make smarter choices in every aspect of their life. telemedicine will not entirely replace the physical healthcare, but it will be a smarter choice for people. this means that telemedicine can help take the load from hospitals, but hospitals will always play an important role in advance cross functional treatment requirements, advanced diagnostics and surgical interventions.

Having said that, patients are already opting for telemedicine apps for home based collection of test samples, delivering monthly medicines, and booking appointments. this behavioural change is here to stay. this trend will further accelerate the growth of telemedicine in India. With telemedicine, everyone can access quality healthcare at ease, irrespective of geographical barriers.

Since these are tech-driven initiatives, how can these platforms help in discerning disease trends (like transmission patterns of COVID-19), which could assist public health officials in pre-empting new outbreaks of infections? cOvID-19 is a wake-up call not only for the governments but also for all of us to prepare the world for future pandemics. With the advent of mathematical tools, scientists are now able to better predict epidemics, understand the specificity of each pathogen, and identify potential targets for drug development. there is a need to take advantage of the rapid progress made in the past decades in data processing, analytics, and utilisation. existing structures such as the mOH-driven global influenza surveillance could be used as examples to develop long-term capabilities in preventing infectious disease pandemics and their deleterious effects. the use of tech- driven initiatives will make it possible to digitally trace the footprints of an infected person and also get access to trace the travel history, places visited, people met. this information can help to stop the widespread transmission of the virus by identifying the person and taking the necessary medical safety measures. the large data sets of anonymous patient information available from digital health platforms can be used to better existing technologies. this can aid health professionals as well as public health officials in dealing with the pandemic. Harmonising the integration of AI will enable us to enforce its use for infectious pandemics prediction, better understanding of infections, and reduce time for drug discovery. Is India ready for a long term and wide-spread deployment of tele-consultation, given the patient confidentiality and data security issues? What are the security features that can assure patients that their data is safe and not shared without their permissions? the cOvID-19 pandemic has been a case study on the importance of having efficient and reliable data systems. countries with a robust health data infrastructure have been successfully able to leverage real-time data, which has informed their key strategic and public health responses. the Indian government launched the Aarogya Setu app to provide real-time updates and contact tracing. Since data security is incorporated by default, it ensures end-to-end encryption. Apropos telemedicine services, remote-care devices and remote patient monitoring are particularly vulnerable when they don’t come with embedded security features to ensure the decoupling of sensitive patient information. In order to scale telemedicine network, data security audits to ensure patient safety are a must.

At Apollo telehealth, all our platforms are HIPAA compliant and the backend is ISO 27001 certified. Our front end point of presence across geographies is also ISO certified. this ensures that the data security measures adhere to global standards.

While tele-consultations will improve access and reach, do they address the affordability challenge, especially in tier 2/3/4 towns and villages of India? there has been a significant increase in the number of people using online consultation. Like I mentioned, Apollo 24|7 has witnessed tremendous increase in online inquiries from tier 2 and 3 cities. 33 per cent of our registered users are from tier 2 and 3 cities. these cities also account to 21 per cent of our virtual consultation with Apollo Doctors.

We believe in customer empowerment and our key responsibility is to make Apollo expertise available for every user. charges are led by the doctors and depends on their experience and expertise. For the users there is a large horizon of choice based on experience, specialty and location. We enable one to choose as per their requirement while empowering towards data-based decision making.

Apollo 24|7 has the capability to remember every user and keeps learning about them and their actions. this help towards giving refined choices for the users with time. We have observed with our experiences that a routine consult involves various direct and indirect costs like travel, incidentals and opportunity. these costs multiply in case of the patient requiring an attendant. Apollo 24|7 definitely cuts a lot of extra expenditure like these for those in tier 2 and 3 cities and provides them with affordable quality healthcare options at their convenience.

ARMED FORCES BOOK OF RECORDS

• We do the things that makes India Proud. We want to record their activities from ground to top and this brings little more enthusiasm to our Defence personnel when their name listed nationally. We are planning the launching of this book in a big way through Defence Ministers, CDS & DGs of All Forces @ Golden Jubilee of 1971 War. The book will be authored by the veterans of Indo-Pak War and eminent personalities of forces. • Who dares - Wins, Who sweats - Wins, Who plans – Wins. The brave die never, though they sleep in dust. Their courage nerves a thousand living men. The Forces have numerous talents and extraordinary works which we want to club under one roof. In view of this, we have decided to include the work/talent of Military and Para Military forces in the concerned field.

FORCES TO BE COVERED IN AFBR

OTHER DEPARTMENTS TO BE COVERED IN AFBR

• Indian Army • Indian Air Force • Indian Navy • ITBP • CRPF • RAF • Assam Rifles • SSB • BRO • Indian Coast Guard • CISF • BSF • Special Frontier Force • Police • NSG • RPF • WAR Veteran • NDRF

• Aeronautical Development Agency • Defence Exhibition Organisation • Defence Intelligence Agency (India) • Defence Planning Committee • Defence Research and Development Organisation • Marine Commando Force (MCF) • Military Engineer Services • Associate Armed Forces Organizations • Directorate of Air Intelligence • Directorate of Military Intelligence (India) • Directorate of Naval Intelligence (India) • Indigenous Defence Equipment Exporters Association • MARCOS • National Defence Academy (India) • Ordnance Factory Board • Samtel Avionics • Ex Servicemen