Though India has progressed well on most economic parameters, the doctor-patient ratio in India is still less than the WHO-prescribed limit of 1:1000. As India seeks to provide effective healthcare to all its citizens, the role of technology in lowering the gap and providing quality healthcare will become even more significant.
Says Lux Rao, Chief Technologist, Technology Services, Hewlett Packard Enterprise India, ”Healthcare in India has been found wanting in rural areas. Availability of quality doctors and access to healthcare infrastructure facilities is a common challenge.” To resolve this issue, HPE has taken a different route. The firm has understood the significance of the role of the paramedics on the site. The firm has designed an online training system that ensures that paramedics are trained on technology usage skills, domain skills and soft-skills to help them do their jobs better. Using technologies and tools such as the HPE VideoBook that provides video-based learning and on-line assessment, the training module forms a critical cog in running the entire e-healthcare operations smoothly. Paramedics are hence the point of interface, with doctors available on video.
“We have designed a mobile e-healthcare unit that provides similar care to citizens who are in far flung remote areas or are immobile. The kit is highly portable and works in conjunction with a tablet computer and is capable of working offline via Bluetooth or USB connectivity. The data thereafter is automatically uploaded to a cloud-based platform. This ensures an integrated approach and a system that is unified and free of human errors,” states Lux Rao.
Using this solution, all vital health related statistics of a patient (blood pressure, pulse, ECG, glucose levels) can be recorded and transmitted. Using IoT, the firm can even measure the usage of these devices and equipments.
Most technology solutions have traditionally faced challenges as they have been designed as isolated automation islands. As HPE’s solution has been built on open standards (OpenEMR), it has alleviated the problem of technology adoption by integrating devices, processes and resources into a seamless solution.
As the electronic medical records are stored on the cloud, physicians hundreds of miles away can provide a remote diagnosis, reducing the need for highly skilled medics on-site.
The impact
Installed in over 46 locations, the eHC has in a short span of less than four years catered to over 1,36,000 patients. From just one eHC in 2012, the number of eHC’s have gone up to 46.
Today, more than 1 lakh patients who did not have access to primary health care are now experiencing access and availability of healthcare comparable to metro standards. More importantly, ready availability of patient records on the cloud has ensured that cases tending to critical are immediately addressed by competent doctors. In addition, any epidemic outbreak and geo-specific ailments are instantly identified thanks to real-time analytics and insights. As data is aggregated and stored on the cloud, it helps policy makers understand the big picture so that they can better shape future healthcare policies.
Given the dismal doctor-patient ratio in India, HPE’s solution could prove to be a significant catalyst in encouraging innovative models for delivering affordable healthcare.
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HPE eHealth: In a nutshell
Total Number of eHCs: 46 eHCs and 75 Mobile eHCs
Locations: Installed across 17 states in India
Registered Patients: 136, 000
Number of Consultations: 2,03,000 (OPD)
Total Number of Paramedics / Health Workers: 101
Total Number of Doctors: 27
