Millions were impacted by the eSanjeevani telemedicine app, which is a testament to India's commitment to quality healthcare.

Project Director Dr. Sanjay Sood shared insights at the Global Digital Health Summit 2023. The summit brought together leaders and professionals to discuss digital healthcare trends such as telemedicine, artificial intelligence, robotics, and patient monitoring.

Dr. Sood emphasized eSanjeevani's rapid growth, with three million downloads in a single year and 10% senior users. He stressed the importance of mimicking hospital services, user-friendly interfaces, and scalability.

Dr. Rajeev Raghuvanshi discussed India's shift from hardware to software integration in healthcare, highlighting challenges and the need for improved health infrastructure. Dr. R. K. Srivastava praised India's digital healthcare progress, and initiatives like the Asia Pacific DTx Leadership Alliance for Digital Therapeutics, Health Parliament's Digital Doctor Leadership Maturity Model, and 'Mission SCALE' for digital health startups were discussed.

Harkesh Mittal, Chairman of the Startup India Seed Fund Committee, celebrated India’s vaccine leadership via Aadhar-driven digitization. Bakul Patel, Google’s Senior Director of Global Digital Health Strategy & Regulatory, highlighted the shift to software in healthcare, enabling predictive health and precise surgery.

Dr. Jitendra Sharma stressed hardware-software harmony. N. Nawin Sona, IAS, expressed India’s readiness for advanced tech, including telemedicine drones, emphasizing training and public-private collaboration.

Sona noted cloud-based medical records and blockchain’s potential for insurance claims. Sanjiv Navangul discussed the pharmaceutical industry’s transition to Health 4.0, recognizing patients as healthcare consumers and addressing trust issues.

“Today, we have a unique opportunity to reshape this narrative. By fostering stronger connections with stakeholders, harnessing the potential of social media, and embracing digital technology, we can usher in a new era of trust. This transformation enables us to personalize patient care profoundly, ensuring that individual needs and preferences guide our approach. It’s not just an operational shift; it’s a chance to build transparent, robust relationships with the people we serve.” He said.

Ann Mond Johnson, CEO, American Telemedicine Association highlighted the huge opportunity that India has in the telemedicine space.

“India has one of the largest numbers of internet connection and smart phone consumers in the world. People in India are also comfortable using mobile phones for financial transactions as compared to other countries like the US. This is why we believe that there would be a faster penetration of digital healthcare services in India.”

Dr Rajendra Pratap Gupta, Chair of the Global Digital Health Summit, encapsulated the essence of the two-day summit by stating,

“At the Global Digital Health Summit 2023, we marked a historic milestone in Indian healthcare. For the first time, we welcomed a robot as part of our esteemed panel. This symbolises the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare technology. His key message to the doctors, hospitals and the pharmaceutical industry was, that it was not the time to wait and watch, but adopt and scale up technology in the entire value chain. He further said ‘ medical science and technology will create healthcare and either of them, just sick care’. Together, humans and technology will chart the path to a healthcare future that is both innovative and profoundly human-centric, ensuring the best possible care for all.”

Key figures highlight India’s dedication to using digital tech for better healthcare access. The event honored healthcare innovators with Innovation and Special Jury Awards.