According to a recent study by global consultancy firm global consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the shift from brick and mortar healthcare centres to contactless, virtual-first care during the pandemic has seriously disrupted traditional pharma practices. This has led to people opting for holistic healthcare over just medication. Technological innovations have helped patients to understand their diseases better. Consumers today are now demanding better quality healthcare that is contactless.
As per the study, healthcare services are all set to focus on reducing and optimising touchpoints between the healthcare system and patient, without compromising on the quality of care. Over the last year and a half, we’ve seen significant changes in the medical ecosystem. From decision support to virtual treatment, telemedicine to teletherapy, the pandemic has encouraged healthcare organisations to rethink, evaluate and restructure their models.
The industry is working to address the emerging challenges for the entire healthcare delivery system by adopting a virtual-first care model on a larger basis. This ensures that over time, they can build a more efficient, sustainable, and technologically advanced medical ecosystem. According to the report, COVID-19 has created opportunities for molecular diagnosis, something that wasn’t done often till now. Molecular diagnosis refers to the process of identifying a disease by studying molecules, such as proteins, DNA, and RNA, in a tissue or fluid. Another challenge that virtual healthcare in India faces is the fact that doctors are used to using pen and papers from the beginning of their practise. This makes it difficult to adopt a complete digitally operated practice.
The report also said that the government and the private sector are taking initiatives to boost health insurance penetration and coverage as well as innovation and early detection of illnesses through digital exponential technologies. For example, the GoI aims to launch the Ayushman Bharat (PMJAY) to provide Universal Health Coverage (UHC) to 50 crore Indians by 2030 whereas hospitals are working to digitalise patient records to give the consumers the flexibility and access to the healthcare that they need.