“CONNECTING THE PATIENT ON VIDEO WITH A DOCTOR IS NOT DIGITAL HEALTH, THERE IS MUCH MORE TO IT”

Digital health is the way forward for the world at a time when it is going through one of its most uncertain phases during which mobility has been affected, the economy is in peril and human health is in danger. In June, New York Stock Exchange saw the listing of a company that can truly impact the future of world healthcare in this context. UpHealth Holdings, Inc., which was born through a reverse merger of four companies, combines the four essential components of digital healthcare — a low cost, but accountable system of care, an integrated care management platform, a tech-enabled behavioral health service unit and a full-service e-pharmacy capability. The new entity, which began trading on the NYSE at $9.29 a share on June 10th, was formed by the merger of Glocal Healthcare, a social venture and one of India’s pioneer digital health companies, and three US-based entities Thrasys, BHS & Transformations, and MedQuest. The company focuses on the three As of future healthcare — access anywhere, affordability for everyone and accountability of health outcomes. The founder of Glocal Healthcare and the chief architect of this new global healthcare fusion, DR SYED SABAHAT AZIM — a physician and former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) official, envisioned this a long time ago when he founded Glocal in 2010. Glocal was conceived as a social enterprise bringing quality healthcare to rural India through a combination of low cost primary and secondary care hospitals and digital dispensaries powered by technology. However, says he, the majority of the world, including people engaged in the service of healthcare, is yet to fully understand ‘digital health’ and ‘telemedicine’. Dr Sabahat says the term digital health is often misinterpreted even by healthcare providers, in an exclusive interview with Editor CH UNNIKRISHNAN.

- CH UNNIKRISHNAN.

Glocal, though founded as an Indian technologyled social venture to cater to rural healthcare, has now become a true global entity by merging into UpHealth. What does this transformation mean for Glocal as well as the patient community?

Yes, that’s true. Glocal has become truly global after the merger with UpHealth and we have become live on the NYSE. This has actually strengthened our position as a global player and this will reflect in all the socially relevant healthcare projects that we have been pursuing in several parts of the world.

For instance, we have signed up as consortiums for hospitals and other healthcare projects across continents, including Africa, Asia and even the Americas. As a part of this, one major project — 260 e-PHCs (primary health centres) in the Republic of Congo — will be completed and run in the next three months. We have also signed consortiums for similar and even bigger projects in countries like Namibia, Mongolia, Philippines and the US.

In India, we are now completing a proper 200-bed acute care hospital for the government of Nagaland. This is, in fact, a breakthrough project which was developed out of an innovative model prompted by the Covid-19 crisis after the first wave.

While we were working constantly to improve our concept of digital dispensary, which can be installed in a small space of 200 sq.ft, sometimes even less, within no time, we realised the importance of being prepared to set up even bigger hospitals as quickly if the need arises. So, this project, which we could complete in exactly three months’ time, was another technology-driven leap forward in response to the COVID crisis.