TECHNOLOGY FOR GOOD

There is a pressing need to marry digital innovation with a deeply human context

- SINDOORI REDDY

I am a child of the 1980s, and have been in the unique position of observing the world through the evolution of technology. When I was growing up, there was a waiting list for even landlines. Email accounts were only for the nerds. And then came smartphones, a giant leap-a single, hand-held device that could be our window to the world. These devices and technological developments have truly changed our lives in unimaginable ways and have irreversibly changed the way we live.

India led the way in using technology as an enabler in business and in governance, and every sector transformed itself. Technology became an imperative and a differentiator.

With my ringside view of health care, I witnessed the way technology was impacting every aspect of our services-be it clinical delivery or relationship management.

Apollo Hospitals was at the forefront of this change. We had always been pioneers in medical technology, responsible for many firsts. The MRI, CT scan, PET-CT scan, surgical robot, proton beam therapy system were all first brought to India by Apollo, and resulted in significant improvement in care delivery and clinical outcomes.

We were the first health care institution in India to introduce a single health care identifier (UHID) for every patient, which they can use across the network. This ensured transferability and portability of personal medical records, a key component of providing consistent care. Today, this model is being rolled out nationwide under the National Health Stack, which will mark a pivotal change in India's health care delivery system.