GAURAV DUBEY, CEO - LivLong, writes Increased focus on health tech has made health care accessible and affordable  to many.

Life is very unpredictable, so we need to be always ready for what it throws at us. Especially in the context of the pandemic, the world has understood the importance of healthcare emergencies and how we cope with them. On one hand, the Indian government promotes digitalization in all sectors, while on the other, the World Health Organization focuses on universal health for all. This is how healthcare has gained more importance than ever before in terms of accessibility and affordability with the help of health-tech startups.

Health-tech earlier was a lesser-known concept. Neither everyone was familiar with it, nor many people gave the importance to it. But in the past two years have been a gamer changer with increased focus on introducing technology into the healthcare services. Technology has made things a lot more convenient and made medical services much more accessible and affordable than two years ago.

Here are some ways by which we can measure the contribution of health tech in making healthcare more affordable and accessible.

Improvisation in services

Whether online consultation, online pharmacy, or home testing, technology has made everything possible. This ultimately saves time and money because people do not have to travel to the hospital and laboratories frequently.

Easy management

The use of technology in healthcare has also made things easy and more manageable. For instance, maintenance of records happens in one click, and the use of big files and papers has been minimized. With the help of digital mediums, both the doctors and the patients can access the documents directly.

Similarly, the billing process has also been made very easy using technology such as bar code scanners and calculators.

Improved patient awareness

People nowadays have easy access to all information, thanks to medical apps, about any medical condition. They are becoming more aware of the prevention and cure of diseases, and they can take care of themselves in a better way. This gradually helps people remain healthy, thus making them less prone to diseases and preventing frequent visits to clinics.

Modernized lab testing

The advent of technology has modernized lab testing procedures and transformed how testing is done. These innovations have significantly reduced the cost of lab testing and have enhanced the patients’ experience at the healthcare centers.

Hence, the advent of technology in the healthcare sector has helped reduce costs and make medical services easier to understand and accessible. The accessibility factor has ensured the advancement of healthcare services, especially in remote areas where people can’t travel far away to the cities for doctor consultations.

All in all, health tech has begun to make change to the health care industry and the people in general.