Aligned with the Government’s aim to address the healthcare gap in the country, multi-stakeholder intervention will assist in making enabling policies and public private partnership is the way forward. Initiatives like these will only help us achieve and reinforce best practices for achieving better outcomes in the health care sector of the country, said Shripad Yasso Naik, minister of state for health, Government of India while delivering his inaugural address at India’s first Digital Health Summit 2015 – a mega conference held in Delhi between Aug 5 and 6.

The mega summit attracted high profile speakers from the Government and industry to set the agenda for Healthcare IT in India. The inaugural session focused on various aspects of Healthcare delivery using effective and efficient healthcare information technology and management systems.

The panel discussions during the two day summit focused on showcasing the various capabilities of IT in the transformation of Healthcare. Key deliberations were made by thought leaders and key decision makers from the government, industry and other stake-holders in the area of HCIT. The event saw participation from start-ups, SMEs, MNCs, angel investors, government representatives, etc.

Rajendra Pratap Gupta, chairman, HIMSS - Asia Pacific, India Chapter said, “We at HIMSS India, believe, that the Industry - Government interaction is key in implementing the vision of our Hon’ble Prime Minister under the Digital India Programme and this conference is the defining point for the way forward. Our goal is to showcase the capabilities that the private sector has in the transformation of Healthcare in India through Information Technology. The report of the proceedings will be made available free of cost to all stakeholders to ensure maximum outreach and effectiveness while updating the private sector on Government’s plans and policies.”

The various topics discussed at the event included Future of Healthcare IT in India; Cloud and Big data; Universal Health Coverage; mHealth and Predictive Analytics in Healthcare; Rural Health; Smart Cities and HCIT; Chronic Disease Management; Clinicians and Small Hospitals; Medical Education, Skills Development and Training; Pharmaceuticals amongst other topics.

HIMSS is a cause-based; not-for-profit organization exclusively focused on providing global leadership for the optimal use of information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of healthcare. Founded 50 years ago, HIMSS and its related organizations are headquartered in Chicago with additional offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. HIMSS represents more than 38,000 individual members, of which more than two thirds work in healthcare provider, governmental and not-for-profit organizations.

The event was inaugurated by Shripad Yasso Naik, Hon’ble Minister of State, Government of India in presence of Rajendra Pratap Gupta, Chairman, HIMSS - Asia Pacific, India Chapter; Phaneesh Murthy, Co-founder and Executive Chairman, PM Health & Life Care Pvt. Ltd; Nikunja Dhal, Joint Secretary, MoHFW; Dr Neena Pahuja, Director General, ERNET, Ministry of Commerce & IT, Government of India; Dr KK Aggarwal, Secretary General, IMA; Dr Sanjeev Kumar, Executive Director, National Health Systems Resource Centre, etc.