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Healthcare industry empowered by Internet of Things to spur connected care: Ravi Ramaswamy
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Nandita Vijay, Bengaluru
September 27 , 2017
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The Indian healthcare industry has already been empowered by Internet of
Things (IoT), however, there is still a long way to go. Today, attempts
are being made to push basic healthcare to rural India through
connected care, said Ravi Ramaswamy, Sr. Director Philips Health
Systems.
The healthcare providers are seamlessly connected with
technology to tend to patients. There is easy access to medicines and in
some cases the costs too have gone down considerably, said Ramaswamy at
the second edition of India’s largest Internet of Things platform - IoT
India Congress 2017.
Nonetheless, with every good thing comes
the side effects too. While implementing IoT, network capabilities are
being challenged. There could be potential security and privacy breaches
which needs to be taken care of, patient information needs to be
managed well and healthcare providers need to be educated and constantly
upgraded to be able to avail the benefits of the new technology. If the
sector manages to achieve this, then there is no looking back, he
added.
Philips is focusing on IoT with its solutions like Mobile
Obstetrics Monitoring (MOM), IntelliSpace Consultative Critical Care
(ICCC) and Chest Pain Clinic(CPC). MOM software helps community
caregivers and doctors work together to identify and manage high-risk
pregnancies, bring care to where it is urgently needed which is at
primary health centers and patient homes.
In the case of ICCC,
it is a tele solution that enables transformation of clinical care in an
intensive care setting. With this, multiple intensive care units can be
monitored from a central command center located in a geographically
separated area. A CPC is the first point of contact for the
cardiovascular patients. It is usually run by general physicians and is
equipped with Philips Efficia which is an innovative, portable and easy
to use ECG machine. “These are just few of the breakthrough examples of
how Philips is implementing IoT and focusing on larger IoT based
healthcare solutions,” he said.
Delving on the access to manpower
for the new technology driven era, Ramaswamy told Pharmabiz that it was
not difficult to find a workforce that is trained in technology. Every
individual is upgraded and is constantly upgrading themselves to be at
par with the increasing demands of the recruiters. However, the
challenge lies in the fact that if the company is able to mould them in a
way to fit their requirement. At Philips we provide all the necessary
trainings/workshops and added services that an employee can ask for to
be able to deliver to the best of their abilities.
When asked
whether the current education system should focus on IoT so that the
millennial generation will have a better comprehension and be able to
quickly implement to drive efficiency and innovation, Ramaswamy opined
that current students were already aware of the existing technology in
the competitive environment.
The educational institutes have
already started incorporating it in the curriculum. However, right
education and training at the right time will definitely make a
difference, to shape these individuals for a better future. A larger
focus from the educational institutes on IoT will surely help the
present generation to better implement at a later date, he stated.
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