Although the government is in the process of fast-tracking provisions to create an ecosystem for developing affordable therapies for patients, a conference was held recently in Mumbai to showcase innovations like voice prosthesis for throat cancer patients priced at Rs.50 and a mobile app to standardize diagnosis for different types of cancer among others that provides faster treatment at the point of care.

The need for such innovations comes at a time according to innovators when there are inordinate delays in getting patents, as they may take 5 to 10 years times which in most cases can make the idea become obsolete.

Oncologist and Innovator Dr Palak Popat has come up with the TNM app that helps standardize the way diagnosis for different types of cancer and its stages is done in the country. This app has a 20 second questionnaire which needs to be filled with just a yes or no and immediate diagnosis of the node of cancer and its stage is revealed. This becomes helpful for junior doctors, radiologists and general practitioners who are not specialists in oncology. This app will help provide immediate information to the patients and their family.

Another such path breaking innovation is the VYTAL App launched in April this year helps doctors and hospitals to keep a tab on the health of the patient even after he moves out of the hospital premises. It works as a health manager for the entire family and helps the hospital to stay connected with the patient and it’s privacy setting ensures that confidentiality of all the reports and medication is maintained.

“The app also works as an emergency card that provides details such as allergic reactions , blood group and hereditary medical issues that comes handy if a patient is staying or travelling alone and in need of medical care,” said Dr Gauri Gore, consultant obstetrics and gynecologist.

These out of the box ideas by the physicians will ensure that the expenses of all the treatments do not put a load on the patient’s pocket and some innovations help generate a positive relation between the patient and the hospital.

With increasing awareness on critical illnesses people these days get diagnosed at the right time but are expensive which leads the patient to refrain from continuing with the medication or succumb to the disease. To ensure such instances do not recur, Dr Vishal Rao, innovated a medical device that is available at a nominal price. “Voice prosthesis is a device created for throat cancer patients. It is portable, disposable and can be easily changed, despite which we have priced it at Rs 50 per prosthesis. This is far more economical than other similar prosthesis in the market and hence we call it the one dollar speaking device,” said Dr Vishal Rao.

Some of the innovations were focused on helping the doctors for better diagnosis as well. Similarly, Dr Prashant Jha has created a Feto Maternal Device that can assess fetal distress that can be helpful for patients as well as doctors. Dr Jha has innovated few other such devices as well modeled on various gastric ailments as well.