AI, IT solutions in healthcare are welcome, but more core med-tech innovations necessary, say experts Premium

While dengue cases have been becoming increasingly common across various parts of the country, we still don’t have a single medicine to treat it, says Dr. Nagesh R., medical director at Kauvery Hospitals, who was speaking at the recently-concluded CII Innoverge 2024 in Bengaluru. 

In the first week of September, the number of dengue cases this year crossed the 25,000 mark in Karnataka, setting the record of the highest ever. With 12 deaths so far, the government has declared it an epidemic.  

While dengue cases have been becoming increasingly common across various parts of the country, we still don’t have a single medicine to treat it, says Dr. Nagesh R., medical director at Kauvery Hospitals, who was speaking at the recently-concluded CII Innoverge 2024 in Bengaluru. 

“We are just giving symptomatic or supportive treatment. Similarly, there are so many communicable and vector-borne diseases in India, but we lack medications for many of them. We are following the Western studies for non-communicable diseases. The government must step up and support research institutions to develop new medications,” he said as part of a panel discussion where several experts pointed out the importance of technology in ensuring healthcare access across India and the need for more government support to promote research and medial solutions that cater to the local needs.

India, particularly Bengaluru, has a thriving start-up ecosystem with many of the young ventures focused on innovations in the med-tech sector.  

However, the innovation in the sector has been driven by AI and IT interventions instead of innovation in core equipment, points out Aruna Nayak – Managing Director, Getinge Medical.

“We do a lot of interactions with start-ups. In India, the start-ups tend to focus on the IT or AI part. When it comes to core capabilities of medtech - the clinical and engineering aspects of it, the equipment or the hardware part - we have a journey to go,” she said during the discussion.

Known as the pharmacy of the world, India is the largest producer of vaccines and the largest manufacturer and exporter of generic drugs. According to 2023 figures, India accounts for more than 60% of global vaccine production.