~ One of the focus areas at a panel discussion was the increasing role played by AI in reducing human error and minimising routine healthcare chores.
~ Healthcare experts from across the country and the world participated in GIM’s flagship conclave.
The 5th Annual Healthcare Management Conclave at the Goa Institute of Management (GIM), Sanquelim, recently spotlighted on how the future of healthcare is being transformed by disruptive innovations across multiple areas, seeking to merge traditional and modern practices. The conclave featured three panel discussions focussing on artificial intelligence (AI), start-ups and Ayush and highlighted the potential of these constructive disruptions in healthcare and their impact and implications for the future.
The opening panel featured insights from industry leaders like Giri Athuluru, president, ExperienceFlow.ai, Dr. Raajiv Singhal, managing director & CEO, Marengo Asia Healthcare, Dhruv Sukhrani, partner, Bain & Company, Kalyan Sivasailam, founder, 5C Network and Nakul Jain, director – Solutions, Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence. The speakers highlighted how AI’s predictive analytics are helping healthcare systems manage large data sets, identifying at-risk populations and enabling personalised treatment plans. Beyond improving diagnostic accuracy, the speakers discussed how AI is reducing the burden on healthcare systems by automating routine tasks and minimising human error. The panel moderated by Anjan Bose, Founding Secretary General, NATHEALTH,
Former President, Philips Healthcare & Consumer Lifestyle, Advisor – GIM, also focussed on AI’s ability to facilitate early detection of conditions like cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases; which eventually, results in timely treatment and better survival rates.
Ajit Parulekar, Director of GIM, underscored the importance of these discussions for the future of healthcare, stating, “The integration of AI into healthcare is not just about technology; it’s about creating more effective, accessible and patient-centred systems. At GIM, we are committed to fostering such crucial dialogues that push the boundaries of healthcare innovation.”
The conclave’s second panel delved into start-up innovations reshaping healthcare delivery. This session focused on how start-ups are driving disruptive change through telemedicine, home healthcare and MedTech solutions. In the session, Ameera Shah, executive chairperson & wholetime director of Metropolis Healthcare Ltd. and Vivek Srivastava, CEO of HealthCare at Home, discussed the opportunities and challenges faced by start-ups as they bring innovative, scalable, patient-centred solutions to the market.
Other panellists – Harish Natarajan, director, HxCo India Pvt. Ltd; Mukul Bagga, regional commercial director- India, Middle East and Africa, Medicom Healthcare and Dilip Kumar Chekuri, CEO, Medivalley, Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone (AMTZ) emphasised on the collaboration between health-related start-ups and healthcare organisations as well as the importance of agility and innovation in making healthcare more accessible and affordable, especially in rural and remote regions. This panel moderated by Dr. Arif Raza, associate professor, GIM, touched upon the challenges faced by health start-ups, especially related to funding, gaining patient capital and trust and traction in the healthcare market.
The final panel centred on the integration of traditional medicine systems like Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH) with modern healthcare and was moderated by Prof. Ajay Vamadevan, chairperson, Healthcare Management, GIM. Prof. (Dr) Tanuja Manoj Nesari, director, All India Institute of Ayurveda, New Delhi and Goa and Rajiv Vasudevan, CEO of Apollo AyurVAID Hospitals, discussed how AI and data analytics can enhance AYUSH practices, offering holistic solutions for public health. Other panellists such as Dr. Durga Prasad Velidindi, Sr. GM-Marketing, Dabur India and Prof. Sanjay Kinra, Professor & HoD, Dept of NCD Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, noted the increasing demand for natural, preventive healthcare, particularly in managing non-communicable diseases (NCD).
The conclave also touched on the role of government initiatives and the growing inclusion of AYUSH in insurance coverage, which is making holistic healthcare more accessible to the public.