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Friday, March 29, 2024

Future skills in Healthcare- Key drivers and influencing factors. – In conversation with Dr Rao, CEO-Apollo Medskills

Healthcare is a Human enterprise, while technology is driving the future skills need in all other industries, Healthcare is primarily driven by human factors and not by the technological changes alone. Today we had an engaging conversation with Dr Pulijala Srinivasa Rao, CEO of Apollo Medskills and he gave us some interesting key insights and new perspectives into the four key drivers influencing the future skills in Healthcare. These are the drivers beyond the healthcare manpower surge requirement necessitated by the COVID Pandemic. Let’s deep dive into these factors

1. Change in Consumer behaviours and disease patterns-

The consumers are highly influenced by home delivery revolution across Industries (Ola, Uber, Swiggy etc) and are expecting a similar trend in Healthcare. To meet the consumer demand the following skills are emerging-

A. Phlebotomy Technicians- The technician who collects blood and other laboratory samples from home. With an epidemic of Non communicable diseases diagnostic industry is on a huge growth spree and there is a growing demand for Phlebotomy technicians.

B- Home health aides- The Home health aides are in huge demand for geriatric care and the post hospital discharge care at Homes.

The other skills emerging in this area with prevention as focus are Rehabilitation aides, Pharmacy assistants, Diabetes educators, Fitness instructors etc

2. Change in Cultural patterns-

With rise in Nuclear families and increasing trend of urban, inter-State and inter Country migration these are new skills emerging and are in demand

A. Geriatric aides- To take care of growing Geriatric populations whose children are away from them at old age

B. Neonatal aides- To help a young mother in taking care of a new born baby- Supporting in feeding, giving bath to a neonate and post feed care etc.

3. Adoption of emerging Technologies-

Healthcare is one of the least automated industries but technology has a huge role in complementing Clinicians in decision making.

A. Tele Health coordinators- Because of a wider gap in rural-urban healthcare divide due to shortage of Doctors and Nurses in Rural India, Tele medicine technologies have started filling the gap efficiently. This has lead to a need of skill set to facilitate the Tele health consultations .

B. Healthcare data analysts and AI professionals- There is humongous healthcare data in the public and private systems and also with the wearables and connected devices in healthcare which need to be properly stored, mined and analysed and curated to build meaningful Artificial intelligence for better clinical decisions. There is a huge shortage of talent in this area. There is a combined need to train both Clinicians and technologists in this area so that data can be analysed.

One of AI’s biggest potential benefits is to help people stay healthy so they don’t need a doctor as often. The use of AI and the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) in consumer health applications is already helping people.

4. Need for Up-skilling-

With changes in technology, new drugs, new treatment protocols and new devices there is a huge need to up-skill the existing healthcare professionals globally.

Today while Government invests huge budgets on upgrading the public hospitals, the existing Human Resource’s in the hospitals are not properly equipped with skills to handle these changes. For example a X-ray technician trained in analogue Radiology in early 1990’s will not be able to operate a digital X-ray machines installed in recent times until he is up skilled.

Similarly the Doctors and Nurses need to be up skilled and re skilled on new protocols of treatment and changing technologies periodically so that the health care outcomes are improved.

The Government and private healthcare institutions should recognise this need and allocate training budgets for their Human Resource’s before their skills get obsolete.

Dr Rao also added that the successful implementation of universal healthcare schemes (PMJAY/ Ayushman Bharat) in India would also need new skill sets in Claim adjudication, Claim processing, Medical billing and Medical coding. 

For any healthcare resource needs and collaborations that you may like to have with Apollo Medskills please write to CEO@apollomedskills.com

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