Healthcare for different socio-economic groups should be same: MoS

The medical treatment and healthcare facilities being offered to different socio-economic segments of society need to be of the same quality, Union Minister of State for Health S P Singh Baghel said on Wednesday.

He said even as India's healthcare ecosystem has reached the digital age, it should be of paramount importance to offer affordable medical treatment facilities to the 80 crore underprivileged rural people.

Baghel was addressing the 'Digital Health Summit', organised by Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) here.

He stressed that medical treatment and healthcare facilities being offered to different socio-economic segments of society need to be of the same quality.

Emphasising on bringing healthcare facilities to the poorest of the poor in the country, the minister underlined the importance of the 'Ayushman Bharat Card'.

Data security of medical records for rural populations was another critical area that needed to be looked into very closely, he said.

For this, a strong regulatory body must be in place to further strengthen the sector, he added.

IAMAI presented the first edition of the Digital Health Summit 2023, a conference dedicated to exploring the transformative potential of technology in achieving 'Digital Health for all' in India. The theme of the conference was "Positioning India as a Global Leader in Digital Healthcare".

Speaking at the inaugural session, Prashant Tandon, chief executive officer, TATA 1mg, and chair, IAMAI Healthtech Committee, said this was India's opportunity to create new healthcare models that will be followed internationally.

The tech capacity in India, he pointed out, was very strong and the quality and quantities of data -- AI, ML, data security -- all of these gave India the unique opportunity to lead from the front.

Dr Alexander Kuruvilla, chief health strategy officer, Practo and co-chair, IAMAI Healthtech Committee, said India was poised to become a global leader in digital healthcare with new-age surgical care and other schemes being in practice.