HOW INDIA IS PREPARING ITS HEALTHCARE WORKERS FOR THE FUTURE OF DIGITAL HEALTH

The investment should not just be about technology - but should be about ensuring healthcare inclusivity and empowering professionals to deliver future-ready solutions.

- Dr. Arun P. Jose

India’s healthcare landscape is on the brink of a digital revolution. With advancements in telemedicine, artificial intelligence (AI), and data analytics, technology presents unprecedented opportunities to enhance healthcare access, affordability, and quality. However, the effectiveness of these innovations hinges on India’s healthcare workforce’s capability to utilize them effectively.

NAVIGATING A COMPLEX HEALTHCARE LANDSCAPE

India faces a dual burden of disease: rising rates of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes and cardiovascular conditions, coupled with persistent communicable diseases such as tuberculosis. According to the National Health Profile 2022, India has one doctor for every 1,511 people, falling short of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended doctor-to-population ratio of 1:1,000.

In such a resource-constrained environment, digital technologies can enable healthcare workers to achieve more with limited resources. The use of digital health tools can also enable task-sharing and team-based care, freeing up valuable time for physicians and allowing for better quality of care. Yet, technology alone cannot bridge the gaps in healthcare delivery. Without robust training, these tools risk being underutilized or misused, exacerbating significant gaps in healthcare inclusivity, particularly for rural and underserved populations.

TRAINING HEALTHCARE WORKERS FOR DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

With India’s digital health market, projected to reach $52.87 billion by 2030, digital technologies hold enormous potential for expanding access to care. However, many healthcare workers lack training in digital health platforms and technologies, leading to challenges in patient engagement, data privacy, and effective diagnosis.