EDITOR’S LETTER
Say Hello to Illuminar, The Digital Enterprise Digest
The focus of this month’s edition is on emerging technologies for healthcare delivery and consumer experience. These innovations mean higher average life expectancy, more affordable healthcare and timely medical intervention. All this means that we are working towards a happier and healthier world! Nothing can really be more positively transformational than this possibility.
However, in the last decade, this industry has presented a big paradox in terms of the enormous spends on healthcare on the one hand and yet a wide gap in terms of health outcomes. As per the World Bank report the average world spend on healthcare as a percentage of GDP is 10.2% and has gone up between 2010- 2012 vs in the period from 2005 to 2008. However even the United States which spends more on healthcare than any other developed country (at 17.9%) has a long way to go, to see high health outcomes. The supply demand gap is huge, coupled with a massive urban-rural gap as a result of a staggering shortage of healthcare professionals.
This edition on digital health features a cover story on the potential of technologies for inclusive healthcare and what the health care seeker can aspire with respect to quality and costs of care. The interview with Dr. K. Ganapathy, President of Apollo Telemedicine Network Foundation and Senior Consultant Neurosurgeon at Apollo Hospitals is highly thought provoking as he unravels the mystery around why digital solutions in healthcare have not taken off at the pace it deserves, together with what is required to be done to give it more impetus.
I’m reminded of a pretty famous quote “The greatest gift you can give your family and the world is a healthy you”. The onus is on the consumer to take control of their lifestyle and behavioral choices and use healthcare resources more wisely. Consumers need more education about health and preventive care and must be real “partners” with healthcare providers in health management.
We hope you enjoy reading this edition. We look forward to your feedback and are waiting to hear from you with your thoughts and ideas. Please do write to me directly.
Have a beautiful day with good health and happiness forever.
Best Regards,
Srividya Kannan,
Editor, Illuminar- The Digital Enterprise Digest
editorials@avaali.com