The government will utilise digital health to expand access to healthcare and achieve universal health coverage (UHC), Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has pledged. The National Digital Health Blueprint, which Vardhan announced in New Delhi yesterday, will serve to implement a National Digital Health Ecosystem with the goal of “[establishing] state-of-the-art digital health systems.” […]
Technology
AI in healthcare: The coming expansion
The application of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare is one of the most significant trends to have emerged in digital health in recent years. New projections suggest the sector can expect significant growth in the next few years. By 2026, forecasters have said AI-based healthcare will be worth US$8 billion – a growth of 49.7 […]
In major error, millions of pregnant women’s data leaked online
In a major technical error, more than 12.5 million medical records belonging to pregnant women were left exposed and available for public consumption. Failure to secure a database containing the records – some of which dated back to 2014 – saw sensitive information left publically accessible. It was not until a researcher discovered the error […]
Heart data: Does it offer new hope for heart health?
Dubai-based researchers have pioneered a novel new technology which could offer hope for those suffering from heart ailments. Scientists at the University of Birmingham Dubai have unveiled ElectroMap software which could play an important role in processing heart data. Existing technologies can monitor the electrical activity of the heart and detect when conditions such as […]
Why you can’t buy medicines online – at least for now
Court rulings have halted the e-pharmacy market in India – at least until January. Online sales of medicines are now subject to a blanket ban until clearer regulations are set forth by the Centre, the Madras High Court ordered Monday, December 17th. The Centre has time only until January 31st to issue these guidelines. The […]
Simulations to track and predict the spread of HIV
The spread of HIV can be both accurately tracked and predicted using computer simulations according to a study published in Nature Microbiology. The news could help India build on its success in reducing rates of HIV transmission. New HIV infections in the country fell from 120,000 in 2010 to 88,000 in 2017. AIDS-related deaths fell […]
Fake news is making Indians sicker
The social media craze In India might be making the country sicker, as untrue and often dangerous messages about health circulate via online platforms at an alarming pace. India is a rapidly growing market for social media. By 2022, the country could be home to as many as 370.77 million social networkers. The rise of […]
New app-based scheme for ASHAs to fight diabetes
’IMPACT Diabetes’, a new digital tech-based program, is on the scene to help ASHAs in rural India manage its emerging diabetes crisis. “Diabetes is one of India’s greatest public health challenges” Diabetes is one of India’s greatest public health challenges. A combination of genetic predisposition, sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy diets means it has become the […]
Credit card-sized ECG: An Indian innovation
In a remarkable feat of Indian innovation, electrocardiograms (ECGs) may now become more readily available to those in rural environments. This has the potential diagnose many people who would otherwise unknowingly suffer from heart conditions, without the need to travel to specialist hospitals. Scientists at the Bhabha Atomic Research Center — a group of individuals […]
How Facebook is trying to help India’s blood donor shortage
Facebook is launching a way of mobilising its quarter of a billion Indians users to become blood donors. A new feature has been unveiled on the social networking site. It aims to connect blood donors with patients, hospitals and blood banks. Rollout began on October 1, to coincide with the country’s National Blood Donor […]