Preventive healthcare in urbanising world

The Hyderabad Chapter of ‘Startup Leadership Program’ (SLP) organised a session titled ‘The Future of Health’ at T-hub at IIIT Campus, which included discussions on the advances that are reimaging healthcare industry for the new age.

The keynote speaker, CEO of Caremotto Dr NiranjanRavuri, addressed the gathering and spoke on the importance of preventive healthcare in a rapidly urbanising world. “Doctors and hospitals are practicing medical care in the name of health care by fixing sick bodies and acting as giant repair shops,” he said.

Mentioning that India has a large proportion of young people he stated, “For the country to reap benefits of this rich demographic dividend, it is important to ensure that they are healthy and avoid getting lifestyle diseases like Type 2 diabetes and cancer.”

“The focus of both patients and healthcare providers should shift from reactive care to preventive care. It is also important to ensure affordable care for those who need it, given that about 65 per cent of Indians are uninsured. Start-ups have great opportunities to make these shifts happen,” he added.

Speaking on the potential of innovation for startups in the healthcare domain, Head Of Technology at LVPrasad eye institute Dr Anthony Vipin Das said, “In healthcare, what matters the most is trust and transparency. If a startup fails in ensuring either, then they won't go very far. Using simple technologies effectively can lead to vastly improved outcomes.”

“When you are trying to disrupt an industry like healthcare, a top down approach does not work. Instead, startups need to work with established players to drive change from the grassroots”, Dinesh Koka, founder and COO of eKincare said responding to a question. The registrations for SLP Hyderabad’s next batch of August 2016 will be open until July 31.