R Govind Hari, Chairman & Managing Director, Pushpagiri Eye Institute & Pushpagiri Healthcare Hospitals Pvt Ltd, sees innumerable ways in making healthcare facilities more efficient through deployment of contemporary technologies

What is your take on the Indian healthcare sector?
The Indian healthcare scenario is undergoing tremendous change and challenge. Costs are rising, the focus on primary healthcare is not enough, preventive care is not a good word, every- body wants a specialist to treat him, and manpower shortage is killing. In spite of all this we are seeing positive traction in terms of focus on National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and National Urban Health Mission (NUHM). We are seeing the Government trying its best to build capacity. But much more has to be done. From 1.5 percent of GDP spending on healthcare we must go up to 4 percent of GDP in the next ten years.

How do you think the upcoming technologies can help in providing healthcare to all?
Technology is helpful in many ways. From telemedicine to improved diagnostic system, to better software systems, to technology focused on improving quality of procedures, to reduction in cost and time in terms of efficiency, technology is playing a critical role. One area which is neglected thoroughly is technology in e- learning given the tremendous shortage of teachers.

What are the IT investments your hospital has made over the years?
We have focused on four areas:
(a) HIS system to improve the process. Coupled with NABH focus, we are slowly moving towards analytics and data mining for both our clinical process and administrative process
(b) Tele ophthalmology is one more area.
(c) e-Learning is being slowly integrated in our teaching at both under graduate level and post graduate level.
(d) Developing our content / clinical repository, accessing those available in public domain.
(e) Investment in ICT is around 2 percent of our capital and revenue, but we in- tend to move it to 4.5 percent in next three years.

How do you ensure quality and patient safety?
Firm determination is needed at any cost to maintain quality. Quality is an on- going, never ending, constant monitoring, upgrading and innovating objective which is to be kept in mind regardless of the cost implication, by default, for a super speciality hospital. By this tool alone one can achieve patient safety. Patient safety depends on quality and both are like two eyes making one in sight

What are the top five challenges you face in the hospital operation and ution and how do you sail through them?
1. Capacity building “ Lack of manpower, reluctance to improve skills.
2. From e-learning and regular presentation by every doctor and nurse to sponsoring candidates for workshops we are working slowly in this area.
3. Learning from our mistakes and processes.
4. Using technology and peer review, peer uation and regular formal interactive sessions, we have slowly been able to build emphasis on doing less mistakes and learning from our mistakes.
5. Unrealistic expectations from the patient, who are unwilling to listen. This has become any- way a national obsession. So the focus in counselling and educating the patient, sensitising the population has become a very critical area for us.

What is your take on the term affordable healthcare?
Indian healthcare business needs to work closely with Government and NGOs and focus on primary healthcare through accessibility and acceptability and build a strong community healthcare system. Aarogysri is one of the best initiatives, initiated and successfully run by the Government of Andhra Pradesh over several years which has bridged the gap between super speciality and affordability. A similar initiative nationally could be adopted.

What strategy do you think can come handy in making the term true for Indian population?
Para-medical and medical education to be made affordable and available together in terms of quality and quantity. Encourage nationally not-for-profit organisations/societies/trusts to play equal role along with corporate and make them focus on health education and primary healthcare services. En- courage and sensitise the population to alternate medicines

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