India had made rapid strides in its healthcare over the past decades, through strong government support and evidence-based planning. However, the unprecedented pandemic has wiped off some of the progress the country has made in healthcare over the years and disrupted the momentum gained in several critical healthcare activities.

During Covid’s first wave, the use of Ayushman Bharat services came down by 60 per cent. Besides, Covid-19 has exposed some fault lines in the system and presented new challenges as there is now an additional burden on healthcare due to the pandemic’s after effects. As we recover and aim to build back more resilient healthcare system, we need to focus on strengthening the public health system, especially around early detection, reporting and containment through government interventions and increased participation of private players.

The government is already focusing on ensuring diagnostic services at all levels of healthcare. Under the Ayushman Bharat — Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs), the government aims to create 1.5 lakh HWCs to offer free essential drugs and diagnostic services along with other primary and secondary healthcare services.

The government has also launched Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission to strengthen health services at district level in addition to revamping public health and diagnostics services and laboratory networks.

While government intervention and funding are critical in ensuring universal health coverage; private players should, and can, play an important role in filling the gaps in the public health system, especially around diagnostics by developing robust early warning systems with more effective reporting and coordination between public and private laboratory networks.

The pandemic has made people aware of the importance of early detection. It has bought to the fore the existing gaps in diagnostics namely — equitable access to diagnostics and screening in remote areas. Private players already account for 70 per cent of the tertiary care.

We need to look for ways to expand this role and encourage them to fill the gap in diagnostics and treatment, especially in the underserved areas.

The pandemic has acted as a catalyst in accelerating innovations in the Indian in vitro diagnostics (IVD) sector and private players should continue to build on it, and bring in their experience in other technologies for early warning and detection. Some private diagnostics have been using genome sequencing in treating non-communicable diseases.

For instance, genomic testing is being used to personalise cancer care and help physicians understand patients’ unique cancer types. With new variants of the SARs-CoV-2 virus evolving and mutating continuously, genomic data is becoming essential in helping nations make informed public health responses. Besides, private players can bring products to support overcrowded hospitals and OPDs through laboratory innovations that optimise workflow, reduce inefficiencies, and expedite clinical decision-making.

Even beyond the pandemic, India faced a huge burden of non-communicable diseases (NCD), which contributes to 65 per cent of deaths . The National Family Health Survey (2019-21) shows alarming rates of hypertension and diabetes, both in rural and urban areas. Early diagnosis of both infectious and non-communicable diseases can considerably reduce morbidity and mortality.

A recent study stated that AI and big data analytics can help to predict risk and prevent NCDs, an area where private diagnostics players can support with their expertise. Even as we focus on Covid-19 and ramp-up capabilities across the country, this also offers an opportunity to build sustainable infrastructure for the future to create a robust public healthcare sector to address both infectious and non-communicable disease burdens.

Bhushan was CEO, Ayushman Bharat and now with John Hopkins University, India, and Varde is M D, Roche Diagnostics India & Neighbouring Markets

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