Public Health
The acceleration of innovation in the public health sector in India was started in 2013 in the National Summit on Good and Replicable Practices and Innovations in Public Healthcare Systems1 in India which has become an institutional mechanism for the sharing of innovations supported by the National Health Mission. The areas range from health systems to women's health, family planning, tuberculosis, and other communicable diseases, to non-communicable diseases, mental health, and e-health. In addition, they also include innovations that apply systems thinking to health problems, such as the use of information technology to strengthen continuums of care as well as innovations that address human resource shortages as well as the need to build capacity among vulnerable populations. The National Health Innovation Portal (NHiNP)2 , launched during the Shimla summit in 2015 represents the unstinting effort of identifying and nurturing good practices and innovations by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. This portal includes many path-breaking projects which are relevant to the health care needs of the particularly disadvantaged and marginalized sections of the society in the field of public health care. There are various programs and innovative ideas that are being implemented in different states of India, some of them are:
Screening, Detection, and Management of Diabetic Retinopathy through the Health and Wellness Centers program in Punjab, which falls under Health Systems Strengthening & Comprehensive Primary Health Care. By this program, training protocols are implemented for early screening and grading of Diabetic Retinopathy.
E-Manas in Karnataka which is working in the field of Non-Communicable Diseases is Karnataka Mental Healthcare Management System that uses data analytics and visualization platform for facilitating decision-making and administration based on health data.
‘Akshaya Keralam’- TB Services at doorsteps during COVID pandemic in Kerala which is in the field of Disease Control Program. The program ensured delivery of services at doorsteps, uninterrupted treatment, and decreased mortality among TB patients.
Another initiative by the government manifests the power of innovation is Startup India3 launched on 16th January 2016. Through various policy initiatives, it has provided a strong growth-oriented environment for Indian Startups. These startups are taking advantage of artificial intelligence, robotics, machine learning, and data analytics. One among these startups is HEAPS4 which is a health tech platform and Network as a Service (Naas) provider which leverages advanced data analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to revolutionize healthcare delivery and payments model by building a “Healthcare Network” and a “Value-Based Care” model. Another example of Innovation that has helped thousands of individuals in the domain of mental health and wellbeing is YOUR DOST5, which is an independent startup whose founders were nominated under Forbes 30 under 30 India & Asia.
Reviewing all these projects, we are still a drop in the ocean considering the vast and diverse population of India. We are lacking in analyzing the impact, feedback, effectiveness, and regulation of all these programs which run under the National Health Innovation Portal and the ones which work independently in open space.