On the second day, the India MedTech Expo 2023 continued its impactful journey with a compelling session titled 'Future Trends in MedTech for Geriatric & Home-based Care.'

The event, held at Gandhinagar's Helipad Exhibition Centre, drew government stakeholders, international diplomats, and MedTech, hospital, and healthcare industry leaders.

The elder care session, chaired by Dr. Vinod Kumar Paul of NITI Aayog and moderated by Pavan Choudary, Chairman of Medical Technology Association of India (MTaI), highlighted MedTech's pivotal role in senior care.

Contributors included policymakers from the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, the National Health Authority (NHA), and Gujarat's Health and Family Welfare Department. The discussion was improved by contributions from Antara Senior Living, ProTribe Senior Care Services Pvt Ltd, Pristyn Care, Healthcare at Home, and Abbott Diabetes Care.

Steering the discourse Choudary said,

“Earlier elders had much utility. They would not only babysit but also produce food, make tools, weapons, baskets, pots; they had knowledge of politics, medicine, religion, songs and dances. Their knowledge about rare events like epidemics, wars, because of the benefit of their years made them useful. But today, their utility has diminished as the repository of knowledge they carried is a click away and industrialization has catalyzed the mobility of the young away from family professions and towards nuclearizing of families. Their utility has diminished and so has their self-esteem.”

“The increasing healthcare and caregiving costs are making elders an expensive burden. Many caregiving children fall in the ‘sandwich generation’, with parents to care for on one side and their own children to care for on the other, added Choudary.”

Emphasizing financial planning’s importance for seniors, Choudary cites Khalil Gibran, “Father gives, both laugh; son gives, both cry.” He highlights the elderly’s challenges and prompts panelists to propose solutions for their physical, mental, financial, and social difficulties.

Dr Paul stated,

“The aging demographic presents both a societal and governmental obligation to address the needs of the elderly population. A landmark study recently revealed that 43 per cent of the elderly population would require one or more assisted medical device in the coming future. At present, the disability rate among individuals aged 60 and above surpasses 10 per cent, emphasizing the significance of comprehensive support mechanisms. Within this context, there exists a promising trajectory for the advancement of assisted medical devices tailored to senior living. He also stressed that the industry should through its efforts address the specific needs of elderly women in India as well.”

Rajit Mehta, MD & CEO of Antara Senior Living, said,

“It was apt timing to discuss how we can get better prepared for taking care of our elders. It’s a multi-dimensional issue with ‘capacity to serve’ and lack of ubiquitous financing options being key constraints. Very heartening to hear from Dr Paul and Shri Saurabh Garg that they are aware of the key issues and quite keen to collaborate with all relevant stakeholders to look at viable solutions.”

The panel appealed for government assistance in addressing GST discrepancies, ABPMJAY exclusions, and other scheme-related issues. They detailed the meticulous development of the Uniform Code for Medical Device Marketing Practices (UCMDMP), highlighting its ethical marketing provisions and allowance for healthcare worker training. Despite pending code finalization, NMC’s Registered Medical Practitioners (RMP) guidelines have imposed impractical restrictions on doctors’ involvement in third-party education.