INNOVATION IN INDIAN HEALTHCARE

Abstract:

Recent developments in science and technology as well as research about the health sector have been on the rise, it has further underlined how innovation in healthcare is not only a buzzword but also the future of healthcare. However, it is important to understand what is innovation in the healthcare sector conceptually and how it is important to Indian healthcare. Healthcare as a field and a sector has been continuously changing and evolving. Although there has been no concise and standard definition of the term “innovation in healthcare”, however, the common and widely accepted understanding is that innovation in healthcare is closely associated with newer developments in the field of healthcare to denote better and more effective solutions to existing and anticipated healthcare problems. Conceptually innovation is categorized based on its impact on the stakeholders ideally bifurcated into two theoretical categories such as Non-disruptive innovation,Disruptive innovation.Similarly, a study by UNESCO Institute for Statistics in 2005 identified four types of categories of healthcare innovations. They areProduct innovation, Process innovation, Marketing innovation, Organizational innovation.Historical literature from India argues that the Indian healthcare system has had evidences of innovation in ensuring health and sanitation to the public since the earliest ages. Some scholars argue that the clay drainage systems and public bath spaces since 238 BCE were the first instances of using innovation in ensuring healthcare of the people. AYUSH and other traditional systems and generational practices of understanding illness and addressing healthcare (as is evident in texts like Sushruta Samhita) have also since then, been seen as innovative grounds that paved the way for healthcare service delivery in India.However, innovation in Indian healthcare also still suffers from logistical and standardization challenges. Although the current focus has been on process optimization and inclusiveness to ensure cost effectiveness and long-term sustainability, further work needs to happen in terms of strengthening Information Communication Technology (ICT) to formulate and maintain a fully functioning effective national database. This would not only aid HMIS practices within service providers on a national level thus, bettering health outcomes and ensuring effective monitoring and functioning of services provided but also help in better policy implementation and highlighting the way forward to an inclusive policy that is accessible to all.