India Healthcare Bulletin - March 2013

7/30/2019 India Healthcare Bulletin - March 2013

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EDIT-SPEAK

1. http://planningcommission.gov.in/plans/planrel/12appdrft/appraoch_12plan.pdf

2. http://www.who.int/gho/health_financing/en/

India Healthcare Bulletin

Innovation to Play a Key Role in Meeting Healthcare Chal-

lenges in India

India is continuously reforming its healthcare strategies in order to accommodate

growing needs of the people. According to the 12th

Planning Commission Report, gov-

ernment spends around 1.4% GDP1

on healthcareand the expenditure is likely to increase in the

coming years. However, the quality of healthcare

services is still poor in public facilities owing to the

poor availability of physicians (doctor density is

0.6 per 1,000)1

and poor infrastructure. People

are primarily dependent on private hospitals and

mostly bear expenses out-of-pocket. The chal-

lenge of the healthcare industry in India, both

public and private sector, is to bring forward new

innovative ideas to meet goals of advancing ac-

cessible and affordable healthcare.

In this months newsletter, IHP highlights innovation in healthcare. Several examples of

new ideas and their benefit to the Indian healthcare system are described in the news-

letter, for example, Public Private Partnerships (PPP) to improve healthcare delivery,

investment in technology and devices to treat unmet medical needs, and educational

programs to cultivate future scientists. These are only a few of the innovative ways we

are tackling the challenges in our healthcare system though there are many more suc-

cessfully running projects contributing to this medical renovation.

In a world where 10.4% of global GDP is spent annually on healthcare

2

, a domain ofinnovation can cut the costs drastically while increasing productivity and quality of the

services. Especially in India, a liaison between stakeholders across public, private and

social sectors can effectively hit the nail on its head. It is time to learn from the assem-

blies of innovations and projects running in the country and start a healthy discussion

on what could be done to make further progress. The successes of all these innovations

as well as many that have been implemented imply that access to healthcare is achiev-

able because of the emergence of new techniques and ideas.

Inside this issue:

Private Public Partnerships

improve diagnosis, treatment and

education

2

Investing in Technology to

improve health

4

Special points of interest:

Innovation as the driver for health-

care industry

PPP model for successful capacity

building

Technology helping healthcare reach

larger populace

An initiative towards better healthcare access in India (www.indiahealthprogess.in)

March, 2013

Volume 31, Issue 3
http://planningcommission.gov.in/plans/planrel/12appdrft/appraoch_12plan.pdfhttp://planningcommission.gov.in/plans/planrel/12appdrft/appraoch_12plan.pdfhttp://www.who.int/gho/health_financing/en/http://www.who.int/gho/health_financing/en/http://www.who.int/gho/health_financing/en/http://planningcommission.gov.in/plans/planrel/12appdrft/appraoch_12plan.pdf


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Public Private Partnerships Improve Diagnosis, Treatment and Education

To catch the reader's attention, place an interesting sentence or quote from the

story here.

Page 2 India Healthcare Bulletin

supply of the patients suffering from

renal failure in the state. Under the

Rajiv Arogyasri Scheme, B Braun part-

nered with Andhra Pradesh govern-

ment in 2009 by investing INR 45

crores to set up and maintain dialysis

centres in the state.

The PPP was based on BOOT model -

Build, Own, Operate, Transfer. B

Braun established 10 hemodialysis

centres with 111 machines2

in the

state within 250 days in cities includ-

ing Chittoor, Guntur, Hyderabad, Kak-

inada, Kurnool, Srikakulam, Vijay-

awada, Visakhapatnam and Waran-

gal. The government paid for the

treatment to the company and hospi-

tal on patient basis so that the ser-

vices are offered free to the patient.

B Braun, on the other hand, took care

of the administration, infrastructure,

maintenance of the machines and

manpower.

The PPP is still in effect and as a re-

sult, people dont have to travel 200-

300 kms to get the treatment in pri-

vate hospitals anymore. Increasing

access for renal failure patients,

which are quite often sick and unable

to travel, has improved both their

health and quality of life.

Public Private Partnerships in Indian

healthcare sector have been instru-

mental in addressing the healthcare

concerns of the nation by ensuring

quality and raising standards of the

products and services. There is im-

mense group opportunity for PPPs in

India and it is expected that they will

change the outlook of the healthcare

system. Providing high-tech devices,

qualified personnel, subsidized ser-

vices and quality products, these un-

dertakings by the Government and

healthcare giants are the biggest as-

sets to the healthcare innovation

model.

Introduced for development of a

product, distribution of a service and

education of personnel, some of

these models are discussed in here.

GE Healthcare and

Gujarat Government

Lack of proper diagnostic and screen-

ing centres delay the treatment of a

patient. Realizing the same, global

healthcare equipment manufacturer,

GE Healthcare, partnered with Guja-

rat government in 2008 to improve

the condition of healthcare in the

state. By making an investment of

INR 350 million1, GE Healthcare set

up diagnostic imaging centres includ-

ing advanced CT and MRI facilities in

five medical colleges (Ahmedabad,

Baroda, Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Ja-

mangar) and hospitals in the state.

GE Healthcare outsourced the medi-cal equipment in government hospi-

tals and reduced the cost of medical

treatment without compromising on

quality. The charges of CT scans and

MRI are 40% lower in the centres1

while they also conduct free MRI

scans for BPL patients in these 5 cen-

tres. Moreover, the PPP model trains

students and young professionals in

order to help them learn the technol-

ogy and latest instruments.

The pioneering venture successfully

expanded access to diagnostic and

screening services in Gujarat by in-

vesting in the required facilities and

creating new models to provide ac-

cess to equipment. This partnership is

seen as an example for other state

governments to undertake similar

projects.

B Braun and Andhra

Pradesh Government

Government facilities in Andhra

Pradesh had inadequate machines to

bridge the gap between demand and

1. http://www.thehindubusinessline.in/bline/2008/08/23/stories/2008082351351900.htm

2. http://www.bbraun.co.in/cps/rde/xchg/cw-bbraun-hi-in/hs.xsl/7334.html

3. http://www.joshd.net/article.asp?issn=WKMP-0031;year=2013;volume=1;issue=1;spage=44;epage=47;aulast=Jain
http://www.thehindubusinessline.in/bline/2008/08/23/stories/2008082351351900.htmhttp://www.thehindubusinessline.in/bline/2008/08/23/stories/2008082351351900.htmhttp://www.bbraun.co.in/cps/rde/xchg/cw-bbraun-hi-in/hs.xsl/7334.htmlhttp://www.bbraun.co.in/cps/rde/xchg/cw-bbraun-hi-in/hs.xsl/7334.htmlhttp://www.joshd.net/article.asp?issn=WKMP-0031;year=2013;volume=1;issue=1;spage=44;epage=47;aulast=Jainhttp://www.joshd.net/article.asp?issn=WKMP-0031;year=2013;volume=1;issue=1;spage=44;epage=47;aulast=Jainhttp://www.joshd.net/article.asp?issn=WKMP-0031;year=2013;volume=1;issue=1;spage=44;epage=47;aulast=Jainhttp://www.bbraun.co.in/cps/rde/xchg/cw-bbraun-hi-in/hs.xsl/7334.htmlhttp://www.thehindubusinessline.in/bline/2008/08/23/stories/2008082351351900.htm


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ness material. Additionally, the com-

pany will conduct diet guidance

camps, provide non-communicable

disease management kits and

150,000 glucose test strips free to

support monitoring of diabetes. Also,

they will give the government access

to an internationally recognized and

evidence-based disease risk and

health assessment tool.

Still in its initial stage, the partnership

will improve patient condition and lay

off the economic burden caused due

to chronic diseases. Moreover, the

company will assist healthcare pro-

viders in offering personalized care

and support to the people by analyz-

ing data collected during this project.

Novo Nordisk and Gujarat

Government

There are 63,013.87 people suffering

from Diabetes in India1. According tothe statistics, a 1,013,057

1people die

every year. Government of Gujarat

along with Novo Nordisk Education

Foundation launched Changing Dia-

betes Barometer in 2011 to control

the disease by raising awareness

about it and improving the treatment

in the state.

Novo Nordisk, the innovative bio-

pharmaceutical company, runs a

global campaign, Changing Diabetes,to defeat the disease and promote

universal access to diabetes care.

They introduced it in Gujarat to cre-

ate mass awareness, conduct screen-

ings, improve treatments and make

Gujarat free of amputations and

blindness caused by the disease.

From Gujarat, the campaign spread

to four more states in India - Goa,

Bihar, Gujarat, Puducherry, and An-

dhra Pradesh2. One of the highlightsof the campaign is that it may share

common elements but it has been

customized to meet local needs of

the people.

Moreover, Novo Nordisk is also sup-

porting state governments to collect

information relevant to Diabetes -

diabetic care, interventions and share

knowledge on practical solutions to

better understand the pandemic and

implement appropriate schemes and

policies.

Abbott and Puducherry

Government

Non-communicable diseases ac-

counted for over 50% deaths in In-

dian in 20043. More than 20% of the

population has at least one chronic

disease and more than 10% have

more than one2. Abbott partnered

with Puducherry government for

three years to study and implementinitiatives against non-communicable

diseases (NCDs) in March 2013 in or-

der to detect non-communicable dis-

eases like diabetes, dyslipidaemia,

hypertension or thyroid disorders

and raise awareness about them.

Under the PPP, they will screen

700,000 people in the union territory.

Puducherry government will provide

suitable infrastructure, permissions

and logistics to run the project andAbbott will provide subsidized diag-

nostics, educational support to

healthcare providers, patient aware-

Page 3Volume 31, Issue 3

1. http://www.idf.org/atlasmap/atlasmap

2. http://www.joshd.net/article.asp?issn=WKMP-0031;year=2013;volume=1;issue=1;spage=44;epage=47;aulast=Jain

3. http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/90/1/11-091041/en/

4. http://planningcommission.nic.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp12/health/WG_3_2non_communicable.pdf

5. IFPMA 2012 status report on pharmaceutical R&D to address diseases that disproportionately affect people in low - and middle-income countries. Available at: http://www.ifpma.org/fileadmin/content/Publication/2013/IFPMA_R_D_Status_Report_Neglected_Conditions.pdf

New Medicines to Address

Growing Disease Burdens

New ideas for healthcare delivery and

technology are critical to improving our

healthcare system, but so are both newmedicines for diseases currently without

treatments and improved treatments to

provide better quality of life or compli-

ance. Global, research-based pharma-

ceutical companies are making signifi-

cant investments in the research and

development of new medicines that will

address significant unmet healthcare

needs in Indian patients. For example,

last year, eight pharmaceutical compa-

nies and four research institutions, work-

ing with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foun-

dation, launched a groundbreaking part-

nership that aims to speed the discovery

of essential new treatments for tubercu-

losis.5
http://www.idf.org/atlasmap/atlasmaphttp://www.idf.org/atlasmap/atlasmaphttp://www.joshd.net/article.asp?issn=WKMP-0031;year=2013;volume=1;issue=1;spage=44;epage=47;aulast=Jainhttp://www.joshd.net/article.asp?issn=WKMP-0031;year=2013;volume=1;issue=1;spage=44;epage=47;aulast=Jainhttp://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/90/1/11-091041/en/http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/90/1/11-091041/en/http://planningcommission.nic.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp12/health/WG_3_2non_communicable.pdfhttp://planningcommission.nic.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp12/health/WG_3_2non_communicable.pdfhttp://planningcommission.nic.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp12/health/WG_3_2non_communicable.pdfhttp://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/90/1/11-091041/en/http://www.joshd.net/article.asp?issn=WKMP-0031;year=2013;volume=1;issue=1;spage=44;epage=47;aulast=Jainhttp://www.idf.org/atlasmap/atlasmap


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with Arogya World to launch NokiaLife mDiabetes programme, a mobile

health initiative to raise awareness

about Diabetes in India in January

2012.

There are more than 900 million mo-

bile phone users in the country2.

Needless to say, it was one of the best

mediums to reach the people and in-

crease consciousness about the dis-

ease. mDiabetes program was success-

ful in bringing the problems related todiabetes in notice. It was reported that

mDiabetes reached one million mobile

phone users in 20133

by sending mes-

sages to phone users in 21 different

languages all over the country. More

than 70,000 consumers have com-

pleted the six-month program3, having

received free mDiabetes alerts twice

in a week.

More such programmes in the country

can address the healthcare concerns

of the nation by helping people under-

stand diseases, prevention, control

and treatment.

Superlative technology and develop-ment of new devices are making

treatments cost-effective and there-

fore, accessible to the populace. In-

novative new designs in technology

and devices could strengthen the

healthcare system and become the

backbone of the healthcare industry.

Two of these innovations are Stan-

ford India Biodesign and Nokia Life

mDiabetes.

Stanford India Biodesign

Started in 2008, Stanford India

Biodesign (SIB) is a partnership be-

tween the Design School at Stanford,AIIMS and IIT Delhi to train medical

device innovators and develop lead-

ers in biomedical technology innova-

tion in India. They are trained in India

and Stanford to design inexpensive,

high quality devices for the Indian

patient and meet the growing health-

care needs of the nation.

Since its inception, SIB fellows have

designed 12 different devices and

filed for 20 provisional patents while5 of their products are under clinical

trials. The students are being ex-

posed to medical technology at uni-

versity level to help them achieve

medical excellence and build medical

technology sites.

The fellows have developed the Con-sure, which can manage fecal inconti-

nence that could improve the clinical

outcome thereby reducing the cost of

hospitalization; IntraOZ which could

access intraosseous activity in long

bones during emergencies letting

physicians administer fluids and

drugs; Relligo, a pre-hospital care

device for trauma patients; Sohum,

which can screen hearing defects and

NeoBreathe, which can perform neo-

natal resuscitation with minimal

training.

These devices are innovative, simple

and efficient, bringing down the cost

overall by eliminating or shortening

costly hospital stays. Introducing de-

signs like these in the Indian market

could help the people avail to the

services offered, enhancing their

quality of life and increasing the life

expectancy in the country.

Nokia Life mDiabetes

As mentioned earlier, there are more

63 million people suffering from Dia-

betes1. It could be controlled with

lifestyle changes but the problem isthat people dont know about the

disease.

A Finnish mobile manufacturer,

known for its products especially de-

signed for the masses, joined hands

Investing in Technology to Improve Health

Phone: +91-124-4388851

E-mail: [email protected]

B-249, Supermart-1,

DLF Phase4,

Gurgaon,

Haryana122002

1. http://www.idf.org/atlasmap/atlasmap

2. http://www.trai.gov.in/WriteReadData/WhatsNew/Documents/PR-TSD-Sep2012.pdf

3. http://www.arogyaworld.org/arogya-world-and-nokia-india-engage-one-million-people-for-

Page 4 India Healthcare Bulletin
http://www.idf.org/atlasmap/atlasmaphttp://www.idf.org/atlasmap/atlasmaphttp://www.trai.gov.in/WriteReadData/WhatsNew/Documents/PR-TSD-Sep2012.pdfhttp://www.trai.gov.in/WriteReadData/WhatsNew/Documents/PR-TSD-Sep2012.pdfhttp://www.arogyaworld.org/arogya-world-and-nokia-india-engage-one-million-people-for-mdiabetes-through-nokia-life-service/http://www.arogyaworld.org/arogya-world-and-nokia-india-engage-one-million-people-for-mdiabetes-through-nokia-life-service/http://www.trai.gov.in/WriteReadData/WhatsNew/Documents/PR-TSD-Sep2012.pdfhttp://www.idf.org/atlasmap/atlasmap