New Delhi: The digital health technology is having a remarkable influence on healthcare access, delivery, and outcomes throughout India and the world. Its potential to transform public health for the better is truly limitless.
It was therefore exciting to witness experts in this wide-ranging yet highly specialized field share their immense knowledge at the 2017 HITLAB Innovators Summit: India, held February 16-17, at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. The event was developed by HITLAB®, a healthcare innovation lab that helps leading organizations ideate, create, evaluate, and diffuse technology-based solutions to improve the quality and accessibility of healthcare worldwide.
Participants were inspired by the engaging talks, panels, and networking opportunities focused on “Empathy-Driven Digital Health Innovation: Improving Health Outcomes by Understanding the Needs of the End-User.” For example, the heads of Fortis, TCS, IBM, and Boston Scientific offered evidence on immensely relevant content that will have real impact for digital health innovators and effectors everywhere.
Boston Scientific was the Visionary Sponsor of the Summit, in compliance with its policies. Its Director of Corporate Research, Ron Lancaster, described the conference this way: “The HITLAB Summit excelled in many ways, especially the diverse and talented group of industry, academic, government representatives, physicians, and entrepreneurs that participated. I really enjoyed the networking and interactions.”
Dr S B Bhattacharyya, Head, Health Informatics at Tata Consultancy Services, expounded on the collaborative tenor of the Summit: “It proved to be an innovative concept where innovators were exposed to the ways key opinion leaders and industry heads think about enhancing the domain in which they function. It provided experts like myself with the opportunity to take a fresh look from the perspective of younger entrepreneurs focused on modernizing the rapidly-changing world of technological innovation at even faster rates.”
The highlight of the Summit was the HITLAB World Cup: India, which challenged innovators to design original solutions for pressing healthcare challenges. Sponsored this year by Healthquad, with mentorship support from Quadria Capital, the competition featured five outstanding finalists: Health Vectors, eKincare, Apcegen, Zeolr Technologies, and Wide Heart Solutions. Health Vectors was the grand prize winner, while eKincare was the runner-up.
“It was truly a humbling experience winning the 2017 HITLAB World Cup: India and being part of a prestigious program,” said Dr. Subhasish Sircar, Founder and CEO of Health Vectors. “Health Vectors is now squarely focused on explosive growth in hospitals, insurance companies, and corporate verticals. Recognition by, and collaboration with, HITLAB will go a long way toward establishing the key relationships globally that are essential for such growth.”
Lancaster was impressed by “…the quality of the digital health concepts presented by the entrepreneurs competing in the World Cup. As a judge, it was very difficult to select one over another as they all were innovative, well presented, and will bring tangible and positive changes in the care of patients around the world.”
HITLAB remains determined to address healthcare challenges in India and throughout the world. Its HITLAB World Cup: India and HITLAB Innovators Summit: India are carefully constructed to advance digital health innovation in the region. The annual events provide outstanding opportunities to increase healthcare productivity, affordability, and accessibility. Most importantly, the exceptional solutions that emerge go a long way toward improving health outcomes and, in turn, lives.
