Delivering effective, scalable and equitable gastroenterology care in India

Abstract

The current approach to healthcare in developed countries is too costly and inefficient to be replicated in developing countries. This paper focuses on India, with over 1.4 billion people and fewer than 3000 gastroenterologists and hepatologists (GIH) mostly clustered in a few major cities with many regions having no GIH specialist. The Indian government has implemented personal identification numbers including health ID, and access to smartphones has increased nationally. With emerging health information technology (HIT) and clinical decision support systems utilizing detailed patient information, there is an opportunity to utilize precision medicine (treatment tailored to an individual’s disease mechanisms using biomarkers and disease modelling with clinical decision support for healthcare workers) to bypass the high cost of modern Western healthcare models and improve the lives of millions of people with a more effective healthcare delivery system paradigm. Digestive diseases are a major area of need that is ready for precision medicine solutions.