
FutureMed X: Experts Lay Out the Blueprint for Intelligent, Inclusive, and Data-Driven Healthcare
: From
telemedicine
, AI-driven diagnostics to
de novo
drug design, the realm of healthcare is standing at a critical juncture marked by the rapid expansion of technology, transforming the fundamental approach to curing patients and expanding access at an unprecedented pace.
Boosted by several other cross-sector reforms in India, this paradigm shift is enabling real-time patient monitoring, predictive analytics for early disease detection, personalized medicine tailored to genetic profiles, and seamless access to healthcare in remote and underserved regions.
However, standing on a fragile base of literacy, digital divide and policy void, the system remains volatile with several fault lines in the data domain – integrity issues, privacy risks, and cybersecurity challenges.
Reflecting on such critical issues, ETHealthworld hosted FutureMed X - The Smart
Patient Care
Summit, designed to discuss and understand the dynamics of AI-driven diagnostics, IoT-enabled healthcare, telemedicine, and data-driven decision-making for a more intelligent, connected, and patient-centric healthcare ecosystem.
The summit brought together key policymakers, healthcare leaders, innovators, and patient advocates exploring the transformative impact of smart technologies on patient care, clinical practice, and business prospects.
The annual summit was supported by Universal NutriScience as gold partner; eClinicalWorks, Sunoh.ai as associate partners; and Nephroplus, Marengo Asia Hospitals, and Easy Solution Infosystems Private Limited as supporting partners.
Delivering the chief guest address, the Minister of State for Communications & Ministry of Rural Development, Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar stressed that, 'The country has the potential to serve as a 'living laboratory' for the world. And building on the existing evidence, India can develop its own high-quality scalable solutions and drive healthcare digital transformation.'
'With collaboration between entrepreneurs and the government, we can make this process successful and ensure that our citizens receive healthcare services that meet global quality standards,' the minister added.
Speaking further, the Union Minister emphasized, 'Entrepreneurs in the country can explore innovative business models to address healthcare challenges, such as drone-based delivery of essential medicines and mobile vans equipped with trained MBBS doctors and physicians.'
At the inaugural panel discussion themed on 'Reengineering Patient Care: A Changemaker's Perspective,' Prof. Anurag Agrawal, Head - Koita Center for
Digital Health
& Dean - Biosciences and Health Research, Ashoka University, noted that while clinicians have increasingly adopted advanced technologies like artificial intelligence—especially in radiology—these tools are not yet advanced enough to be fully relied upon for clinical decision-making, and the coming age of medical professionals is entering a field where technological integration presents both promise and pressure.
On the part of environmental health, Dr. Raj Shankar Ghosh, Senior Advisor, Environmental Health, Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), emphasized that technology has to fill three gaps – predict, prevent, and protect – with the right interventions and correct data sets.
Speaking at the panel discussion on 'Revolutionizing
Emergency Care
: Patient-Centric Approaches in Trauma & Critical Care,' Dr. Deepak Agrawal, Professor, Neurosurgery, AIIMS New Delhi, voiced that, 'Over the last decade the emergency care system in India has undergone several notable changes where the focus on specialised trained professionals has brought a marked shift.'
Talking over the role of technology, Dr. Agrawal underlined that inclusion of cameras is enabling real-time monitoring and is automatically structured to identify how long it will take for every step to happen.'
Adding to this, Dr. Sushant Chhabra, Cluster Head, Emergency Medicine, Manipal Hospitals North-West Region, said that, 'In a closed ER (emergency care) setting, a patient is handled by a trained emergency medicine professional that leads to a quick diagnosis, targeted therapy and eventually improvement in outcome.'
According to experts, a wider adoption of triage in practice can play a critical role during the golden hours and may eventually lead to reduced mortality rates and improved outcomes.
Notably, in emergency care, 'triage' is the process of quickly assessing and categorizing patients based on the severity of their condition.
Dissecting the dynamics of Smart Hospitals, Rajiv Sikka, Group CIO, Medanta Hospitals, shared the group's approach of collecting 20,000 data points from one patient to improve data-driven decision-making, and the stored database can further be used to tr
ai
n AI and ML-based software.
Viji Varghese, Hospital Director, Manipal Hospital Delhi, added that, 'The introduction of digital tools has overturned the traditional delivery model and the flow of information and service providers stands more as collaborators.'
Besides improving outcomes, Kunal Aggarwal, Founder & MD, Easy Solution Infosystems, underlined that innovations like AI are also helping to break access barriers where service providers can expand their reach to remote settings and patients can receive quality care.
For incorporating the newer advancements, Miraj Shah, Manager, eClinicalWorks India, stressed that partnership with solution providers is fundamental for hospitals aiming to join this holistic healthcare fabric.
'Moving forward, standardisation of processes and accreditation rules is also an important factor,' he added.
Dr. Buddhadeb Chatterjee, Sr. Consultant - Orthopaedics, Apollo Hospital, voiced that with limited movement, arthritis is emerging as a major challenge among the urban population and avoiding physical activity will exacerbate this trend.
However, Dr. Rajesh Bawari, Principal Consultant - Orthopaedics & Head - Complex Trauma & Orthopaedics Units, Max Hospital, noted that keeping a balanced approach is key considering that over-exercising may develop complications.
For shifting to robot-assisted surgery methods, Dr. Bawari said that expertise and experience of the professional needs to be taken into consideration. Secondly, the industry is yet to address the cost challenge, which may hamper their widespread adoption.
Talking over issues related to the backbone, Dr. Shubh Mehrotra, Director - Joint Replacement and Robotic Surgery, Lovee Shubh Hospital, shared that against the conventional trend where people in their 30s used to report issues with spine owing to several lifestyle habits, people in their early 20s have started reporting such issues.
Underlining key gaps in microbiology, Dr. Sonal Saxena, Director Professor and Head of the Department of Microbiology at Maulana Azad Medical College, noted that the pace of bacterial growth research has remained largely unchanged, presenting an opportunity for innovators to explore the field and drive potential breakthroughs.
Among the elderly population, one of the key metrics constantly monitored by clinicians is heart rate and sleep quality. But looking at the size of the elderly population against the total number of geriatricians, Dr. Prasun Chatterjee, Chief - Geriatric Medicine and Longevity Science, Artemis Hospital, suggests that integrating AI and other technologies is going to be an inevitable shift in the country.
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Time of India
2 days ago
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Time of India
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