Connected intelligence COVID has created the understanding that data is key, Amit Sadana, General Manager Africa, Middle East and South Asia, IQVIA, tells Sarah Cartledge
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s governments all over the world have battled to limit the effects of COVID, our knowledge of this new virus is constantly growing. From the start through to the development of vaccines and now medication, scientists have worked tirelessly to collate information. And key to this has been the data, once an almost negative word in the healthcare sphere but now the beacon of hope for this and future pandemics. “Governments are now understanding how important data are,” says Amit Sadana, IQVIA General Manager for Africa, Middle East and South Asia. “At the outbreak of the pandemic there was
chaos as many health departments didn’t even know what equipment such as X-ray machines or oxygen cylinders were present in their countries. Now they have become very focussed on collecting and utilising the data. “At IQVIA, a key success factor, whether it’s our tech or our services, is helping customers collect data, analyse data, provide services on data, helping them to be more impactful from healthcare data point of view,” he continues. “We bring standardisation so that systems talk to each other while applying a variety of privacy-enhancing technologies and safeguards to protect individual privacy.
We are not focused on systems integration, though. We are a data integrator. We see ourselves as building the pipes through which information flows.” Enhancing public health Currently IQVIA is working on several projects with different countries in various areas such as COVID vaccine rollout, diabetes risk and progression, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), implementing and administering national level insurance policies as well as digitising electronic medical records for health authorities. “It’s the human aspect that is technology-enabled which allows us to collect data,” Amit says, adding; “We ensure that we explain the process clearly which entails describing the way we collect data and protect individual patient privacy as well as clarifying how we reimburse for providing them. We’re very transparent and I believe customers feel comfortable in
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